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On
February 1, 2003, as the world followed the return of Space Shuttle
Columbia, something deadly went wrong with the flight over East
Texas. In seconds, the shuttle and its crew plummeted to the ground
in Sabine County.
The Columbia broke apart after a slab of foam came loose, gouged a
wing and allowed superheated air into the wing. The shuttle began
to tremble, the crew was unable to regain control, and the wing was
eventually ripped apart.
Efforts to find the remnants of Columbia and its crew were begun and
in less than two weeks, the remains of the seven astronauts were returned
to their families. On March 27, as the search continued, a helicopter
crashed and two more lives were lost.
Today, beside the J.R. Huffman Public Library in Hemphill,
the county seat of Sabine County, is a sparkling new museum that honors
the memory of the nine victims of the Columbia disaster.
Inside the Patricia Huffman Smith Museum are exhibits that were donated
by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well
as families of the astronauts and others.
Each
of the seven astronauts--commander Rick D. Husband, pilot William
McCool, mission specialists David M. Brown and Laurel B. Clark, flight
engineer Kalpana Chawla, payload commander Michael P. Anderson, and
payload specialist Han Ramon--are remembered by displays. So are Charles
Krenek and Jules F. Mier Jr., the victims of the helicopter crash.
The Museum also honors Patricia Huffman Smith, who died in 2010 of
cancer. Her husband Albert donated the funds for the Columbia museum.
The museum houses space-related artifacts and informational items
from NASA, its contractors and others. Interactive simulator devices
and a digital learning center helps educate visitors.
The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Bob Bowman's East Texas
March 20, 2011 Column.
A weekly column syndicated in 109 East Texas newspapers |
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