Space Shuttle Columbia: A Tribute Quiz

Answer: 1979

Various technical problems prevented Columbia from meeting its March, 1979 launch date. Without the shuttle, the Skylab space station, in a decaying orbit at the time, couldn't be boasted to a safer orbit. Skylab reentered the earth's atmosphere and crashed over Western Australia on July 11, 1979.

Answer: John Young

A veteran of four previous space flights and the ninth American to walk on the moon, John Young flew with rookie astronaut and fellow naval aviator Robert Crippen on Columbia's historic first voyage.

Answer: Rockwell International

Boeing bought Rockwell International's space division in 1996. Prior to that, Rockwell served as the primary contractor all five operational shuttles--Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour--as well as the glide-test article, Enterprise.

Answer: McDonnell Douglas DC-9

Columbia was 122 ft (37 m) long and had a wingspan of 78 ft (24 m). A Series 30 DC-9, a twin-engined T-tailed jet, is 119 ft (36 m) in length and 93 ft (28 m) in wingspan. In contrast, the Boeing 727 measures 153 ft (47 m) in length and 108 ft (33 m) in wingspan. Larger still is the Airbus A300, which is 177 ft (54 m) long and has a wingspan of 147 ft (45 m).

The Lockheed L-1011 is also 177 ft long, but it has a wingspan of 155 ft (47 m). (Thanks to the Boeing and Airbus websites for physical information on the DC-9, 727 and A300. Thanks to the website flytristar.tripod.com on information on the L-1011.)

Answer: Carrying the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit

Columbia's cousin, Discovery, carried the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit in April 1990. Columbia completed a complicated servicing mission to the telescope in March 2002.

Answer: Bill Nelson

Nelson represented Florida in the US House of Representative, and was on board Mission 61-C in 1986. Jake Garn, a US Senator from Utah, became the first member of either house of Congress to fly in space, flying on board Mission 51-D (Discovery) in 1985, and wrote a novel based on the experience. Neither Alex McMillian, a former US Representative from North Carolina, nor Charles Rangel, currently a US Representative from New York, have been to space.

Answer: True

Well-travelled Mission Specialist Story Musgrave not only became America's oldest spacefarer (aged 61 at the time of launch), he also set a record with his sixth shuttle flight overall. That tied him with former shuttle commander John Young, who made two flights on the shuttle and two each during the Gemini and Apollo programs. Musgrave's record fell the next year, when former Mercury astronaut and US Senator John Glenn (at age 77) rode Discovery to orbit.

Answer: Canada

Telesat Canada's Anik series of communications satellites, first launched in 1972, paved the way for commercial satellites to take advantage of geostationary earth orbits. The word "Anik" means "little brother" in Inuit. (Thanks to Telesat Canada's website for information on the Anik satellite series.)

Answer: True

California native Barbara Morgan finished second to Christa McAuliffe in the original Teacher-In-Space competition in the 1980's. After the explosion of the shuttle Challenger in 1986, Morgan remained under NASA's employ, making public appearances for the agency while still teaching in Idaho. Morgan returned to astronaut training in 1998, and was scheduled to be on board STS-118, what was supposed to be Columbia's 29th mission, in November 2003.

Answer: Richard Truly

A veteran of two space shuttle missions (STS-2, Columbia, in 1981 and STS-8, Challenger, in 1983), retired Vice Admiral Richard Truly became an associate adminstrator at NASA after the Challenger explosion in 1986. He stayed in that position for three years before becoming the first astronaut to head the agency. Truly stepped down in 1992 and began working in the private sector.