![]() ![]() Modifying the system to automatically close visors or deploy a parachute could help an unconscious astronaut's chances if they survived a spacecraft's catastrophic descent. It also recommends that NASA design the seats and pressure suits for future spacecraft with loss of vehicle control in mind.Ĭurrent astronaut pressure suits, for example, require astronauts to manually deploy their parachute during an emergency escape. It calls for enhanced astronaut training to help spacecraft crewstransition from emergency response to survival mode. The report found five separate lethal events that occurred during Columbia's descent. The investigation "was performed with the belief that a comprehensive, respectful investigation could provide knowledge that would improve the safety of future space flight crews and explorers," said the team of astronauts, pilots and engineers that compiled it. Their helmets were not head-conforming, resulting in injuries and lethal trauma, the report states. The design of Columbia's seats, too, decreased the crew's chances of survival as their restraints did not lock in place, subjecting the astronauts to extreme trauma from rotational forces. At no point did crew error contribute to the loss of Columbia, which was not a survivable event, the report states. One of Columbia's STS-107 crew members was not wearing a pressure suit helmet and three astronauts had not put on their spacesuit gloves, according to the report. Exposure to high altitude and blunt trauma caused their deaths, the report states. Returning to Earth aboard Columbia were commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown and Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. ![]()
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