![]() ![]() Image: Sean O'Keefe accepts a copy of the report from Admiral Harold Gehman ![]() "So I went into this with a determination to do whatever I could." "I knew, if we were facing loss of the crew, that this would be having the same impact on the agency that the Challenger accident had years before," he says. Scott Hubbard was picked as the only NASA representative on the investigative board to work with Air Force generals, Navy admirals, and former US astronauts to paint a detailed picture of why Columbia ended in tragedy. Not long later, the official investigation was launched. The breakup of Columbia had already occurred, its wreckage raining down on Texas while the crew's loved ones waited unawares at the Kennedy Space Center. ![]() "It got to within about two minutes of 00 - usually before you see the shuttle, you hear two sonic booms as the shuttle passes the sound barrier, which tells you it's about to land. Just like a launch day, we had a countdown clock, with these big numbers that would progressively roll downwards. "Normally, you can set your watch as to when the shuttle will come through the atmosphere. "The mood went from excitement and anticipation to despair, once it became evident that the shuttle wasn't coming home," he tells Sky News. The administrator at the time was Sean O'Keefe, who was with the families of the astronauts when it became clear something was wrong. Pic: NASAīefore the loss of the crew was even confirmed, Hubbard received a call from the NASA administrator's office asking him to represent the agency in an investigation into what happened. Image: The crew pictured aboard Columbia during its final mission. ![]()
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