NASA Information Packet for Space Shuttle Columbia

NASA Information Packet for Space Shuttle Columbia

Found this amongst Dads stuff. My father was into HAM radio and helped setup events for the local (HAM)radio club. Several years earlier than this shuttle flew he had invited HAM and astronaut Anthony England to speak at one of these events. My father and him were friends and dad even contacted him while he was traveling in space albeit only for a few seconds before he was on the other side of the planet. Our backyard contained 2 large 100 ft antennas, that held an array of other antennas including a delta loop, OSCAR(Orbiting satellite carrying amateur radio) and MARS( Military amateur radio satellite)

Packet has several nice glossy photos, including take off, orbit and landing. There are several documents with photos explaining different systems and maneuvers that the shuttle uses.

So not sure where dad got this packet, maybe from Mr. England. And fyi, he's a very nice guy. I have his autographed NASA photo amongst my garage art.

COLUMBIA DISASTER
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia experienced a catastrophic failure and disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.

An investigation board determined that a large piece of foam fell from the shuttle's external tank and breached the spacecraft wing. This problem with foam had been known for years, and NASA came under intense scrutiny in Congress and in the media for allowing the situation to continue.