As part of the 17th Annual Memorial Service of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster over Deep East Texas, the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum in Hemphill has announced that they will host a speaking engagement with Aerospace educator and consultant Brian Ewenson, along with other activity to commemorate the loss of the shuttle crew.
Ewenson designed one of the experiments flown aboard Columbia on that mission, and he’ll deliver a keynote address during the program in Hemphill on Saturday, February 1st, 2020.
Space Shuttle Columbia, designated by NASA at STS-107 for that flight, broke apart during re-entry on the morning of Saturday, February 1st, 2003. It was determined that a piece of insulation from the shuttle’s external fuel tank fell off during launch and damaged the leading edge of the orbiter’s delta wing, resulting in breakup during friction and heat while re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
Most of the debris of the orbiter, including the bodies of the seven astronauts aboard, fell over Sabine County.
The seven astronauts were; Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, and Mission Specialists Dr. Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, and Dr. Laurel Clark.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR SAT, FEB 1ST, 2020
Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum
375 Sabine Street in Hemphill
7:30 a.m. – Museum doors open
7:45 a.m. – Opening remarks
8:01 a.m. – Moment of silence
8:15 a.m. – Brian Ewenson to speak
https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_72592938-42e5-11ea-827d-9f5ab5130c68.html