Since the Columbia crash, it has been widely suggested that NASA knew, or should have known, about many potentially dangerous problems with the shuttle, including the vulnerability of its heat-resistant tiles and panels. Last week, the Associated Press reported that previous shuttle flights, including one by Atlantis in May 2000, had suffered damage when hot gases penetrated into the wing during re-entry, which AP said was 鈥渉auntingly similar鈥� to what happened to Columbia on re-entry.
AP made much of the missed opportunity to understand the problem that led to Columbia鈥檚 crash. But accident inquiry chairman Hal Gehman says the board was aware of these incidents, but did not attach great significance to them.
Atlantis鈥檚 problem was improper installation of the wing鈥檚 insulation, rather than launch damage. A piece of insulation had been folded over, leaving a 6-millimetre gap. After re-entry, inspection showed a small amount of hot gas had penetrated the wing, but had not melted the aluminium airframe.
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鈥淚t was not considered a major problem,鈥� Gehman says. 鈥淭hey did the fixes considered necessary to fly again.鈥� Since it was an installation problem, he believes it did not call attention to the issues of falling debris and the strength of the leading edge wing materials that proved crucial for Columbia.