Michael Leinbach - Bringing Columbia Home - The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew

“I don’t care how much you fuss and fight—you can be brought together on common grounds,” said US Forest Service law enforcement officer Doug Hamilton. “But I never thought it would be to this extent. I don’t think anyone will ever be able to tell the story of just how it was, because you had to be here to see this—how everybody worked together without arguing and bickering.” Hemphill City Manager Don Iles said, “As tragic as this was, it was a good moment for our community. Everybody in this county did the right thing.”

In contrast to the Challenger accident investigation—which NASA held relatively close to the vest—NASA’s leadership after the Columbia accident was much more open about rooting out the issues. Sean O’Keefe demanded that we bring everything out into the open as rapidly as possible “…warts and all. You’re going to hear about it sooner or later. So let’s hear it sooner so that we can deal with it. I take great comfort that of the many stories about the accident that were written after the fact, not a single one of them suggested that we were suppressing information.”

As a result, people from all walks of life seemed even more eager to help NASA return to flight. KSC’s Stephanie Stilson said of her experience with the people of Nacogdoches, “We had screwed up. And to know that these people were still willing to support us and be part of resurrecting our reputation made me appreciate even more being a civil servant. I’m proud of working for NASA and the federal government and being an American citizen.”

In its darkest hour, NASA reconnected with the country at a local level, uniting with people who might never otherwise have had contact with the agency. Astronaut Brent Jett said, “It made me so much more appreciative of the unsung, good Americans who will respond and do everything they can to help. Their true goodness was humbling. That was the biggest thing that affected me.”

Dave King said, “I learned it wasn’t my space program. All these people cared deeply about what NASA was doing, our successes and failures and the tragedy we had. But they wanted us to understand that it’s America’s space program—it’s not NASA’s program or that of the individuals who work for us or our contractors.”

Astronaut Dom Gorie added, “This kind of response made it so very clear that this country absolutely demands a manned space program. They want to continue it and honor the people that had given their lives to it. When it came time for me to think about my next mission—and was I truly willing to put my family through this kind of stress again—the support we got was a big part of my decision to fly again.”

Leaders were needed at all levels of the recovery and reconstruction efforts. People stepped up to the task, and in many cases greatly exceeded even their own ideas about what they were capable of doing. Jim Comer was one example. He was a good leader before the reconstruction, but he was great by the time he left. He showed us a confidence that you can’t learn from classes. And there were so many others. Amy Mangiacapra rose way above her pay grade to do the things she did. Ed Mango, Steve Altemus, and many others saw their careers deservedly accelerated as a result of their leadership in a crisis situation.

Jamie Sowell of the US Forest Service said, “I learned so much from leading and inspiring a group of volunteers—getting 110 percent out of them every day, asking them to do something after the glamour has worn off and they want to go home. ‘Come on! Just one more ridge. One more road. One more hour.’ Something great was going on here. Everyone wants to be part of something great. Finding the part that they can be successful in is the key—positive ways that they can contribute. I’ve carried those lessons every day since then.”

Jon Cowart, who now works with NASA’s Commercial Crew program said, “While I had great appreciation for the technical things we did in the hangar, I learned to value the people on my team much more. I was much better able to relate to the people working under me and with me. It made me a better manager of human beings.”

Security special agent Linda Rhode said, “The astronauts gave everything they had. They have a lot of courage, and they have to work together in a very small space. If they don’t, their mission won’t succeed. When I’m working on projects with difficult people, I try to remember, ‘What would the astronauts do?’ They would take the high road. What’s best for the agency? What’s best for our mission? Those are the important questions.”

Every person interviewed for this book said that the Columbia experience was a singular defining moment in his or her life. Firefighter Jeremy Willoughby, who was on the fire crew that found the OEX recorder, said, “I come from a very small town—Madison, Florida—and it’s just unbelievable to think when I look back on it. How did I get put on this huge part of history?”

Mike Ciannilli said, “It was a time in my life I’d never want to experience again. But I can’t ever imagine not living through it.”

Volunteer searcher Dwight Riley from Sabine County said, “It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I’m seventy-eight now. If they called me to do it again, and if I was still able to walk, I’d be right there.”

Scott Thurston, now working with the Orion and Space Launch System programs at KSC said, “People ask me how I can stay so calm under pressure. Compared to standing in front of the orbiter you and your friends have worked on for all those years, and seeing it broken apart and trying to investigate what happened, this is a lot easier to handle. I stay calmer in adversity than I used to.”

Robert Hanley, who had worked so closely with Columbia ’s crew, said, “It caused me to look long and hard at my life, my career, and where I was headed. It taught me that when you get knocked down, you have to get up and keep working hard. Bad things happen. You deal with them and keep going. You need to take time and cry, and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with grieving. It needs to happen and you can’t do it alone.”

Citizens of East Texas had a unique opportunity to work with and get to know individual astronauts, and they were impressed at their commitment and their humanity. Texas Forest Service air coordinator “Boo” Walker said, “We had one meeting where I was probably the only one at the table who wasn’t an astronaut. A question came up and everyone looked at me and said, ‘What do you recommend?’ These people will listen to you. They might not always agree with you, but they truly want to hear your opinion.”

Cecil Paul Mott, Hemphill’s electrical supervisor, said, “We learned that these people we see on television climbing into rockets are more than just faces. Now you think of the fragility and the humanity of what’s out there. These people, like the explorers of our past, endured what they did so that we can walk where we’re walking today.”

Greg Cohrs wrote, “I feel a special connection to the crew and to NASA. I will carry that until the day I die. I am very thankful that God allowed us to recover the crew, as I know I would have been tormented until my passing had we not recovered the entire crew.” [4] Cohrs, “Notes,” 2.

The FBI’s Terry Lane said, “Joshua 1:9—the verse that Rick Husband read to his crew before the mission—became the watchword for the whole recovery. ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.’ After Columbia , I made several trips to Iraq and Afghanistan for the FBI. I had a dog tag made up with that Scripture. I had it with me every time I went over there.”