The Lasting Lessons of NASA’s First Shuttle to Space

When the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in the skies over east Texas on February 1, 2003, the ensuing recovery effort and investigation gathered some of the most painful and lasting Lessons Learned the Agency has ever collected. Columbia was the first reusable spacecraft and today she rests in more than 84,000 individual pieces, collected with great effort and laid out in a nearly 7,000-square-foot secure space at Kennedy Space Center known as the Columbia Room. Here, Columbia’s legacy is preserved, while it advances research into improving the safety and reliability of human spaceflight. In this VPMC session, we will explore the Columbia Room, along with NASA’s Apollo, Challenger, Columbia Lessons Learned Program (ACCLLP) and the invaluable lessons learned that it teaches to a rapidly growing and diverse worldwide audience with Michael Ciannilli who serves as the ACCLLP Program Manager. This session will consist of both pre-recorded interviews and a live Q&A component.