Nigel Packham, NASA Deputy Director of Safety and Flight Safety, announced that 21 astronauts died during the space mission or ground tests, Live Science reported.
“ACCIDENTS GENERALLY OCCURRED BY EXTRAORDINARY SITUATIONS”
Jim Hermanson, professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Washington in Seattle, stated that there were deaths in 5 missions, including 3 NASA and 2 Soviet Union space missions. ” made the statement.
CHALLENGER SPACE SHUTTLE CRASH
It was reminded that two fatal accidents occurred during NASA’s space shuttle missions, and the first accident occurred in January 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in the air 73 seconds after its takeoff.
It was noted that in the crew of 7 who died in the accident, apart from the astronauts, a teacher from New Hampshire, Christa McAuliffe, was also included, and McAuliffe was included in the team within the scope of NASA’s Teacher in Space Project. It was stated that the accident occurred as a result of the loss of flexibility of some sealing materials due to the unusually cold weather experienced in Cape Canaveral.
Noting that the administration, which did not delay the launch despite the warnings of some NASA engineers, was partly to blame, Hermanson said. “Hot gas leaked out and started a fire in the fuel tank, resulting in a massive explosion.” said.
THE SECOND FATAL ACCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED DURING THE FLIGHT WAS A NASA COLUMBIA MISSION
The second NASA fatal space accident occurred in February 2003 when the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded during its re-entry into the atmosphere, resulting in the death of the 7-man crew.
Packham noted that during the take-off of the shuttle, the foam insulation material broke off and damaged the Columbia’s wing, and the damaged wing could not withstand the very high temperatures that occurred at the entrance to the atmosphere, causing the shuttle to break apart.
Stating that accidents do not only occur in flight, Packham said, “I personally do not distinguish between the accident being on the ground or in the air.” said. In this context, Packham cited the Apollo 1 accident, which resulted in the death of the 3-person crew as a result of a fire in the cabin during a pre-launch test.
4 Cosmonauts Died in the Soviet Union Period
Stating that 4 cosmonauts lost their lives during the Soviet Union, Packham reminded that the first fatal accident occurred in 1967, the Soyuz 1 spacecraft crashed to the ground due to a parachute error during landing, and a cosmonaut lost his life in the accident.
Packham claimed that coinciding the flight with a political event caused the accident, despite the fact that at the beginning of the space race, the spacecraft was not yet ready and the flight control team knew that a parachute failure could occur after re-entry.
Hermanson, on the other hand, stated that the only accident outside the atmosphere that cost the lives of three cosmonauts was the Soviet Union space mission in 1971. “Taking off and landing are usually the most dangerous phases of flight.” said.
Noting that cosmonauts, who spent more than three weeks on the first space station established by the Soviet Union, left the station to go to Earth, a decrease in pressure occurred in the spacecraft, according to the information in NASA, Hermanson stated that the cosmonauts who did not wear space suits died.
Packham added that about 650 people have flown in space to date, and that this number will increase due to commercial space flights, adding that space missions “will never be without risk”. (AA)