Boschaero\Naval Research Lab Shuttle Columbia Debris Recovery Report
2-20-2003
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Eric adds oil to Ivan for the trip to Lufkin TX. |
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Glenn gets REAP (Rapid Elevated Aerostat Platform) ready to travel. |
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REAP is loaded in the aircraft. REAP is an aerostat and is used as a portable communications relay station. |
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We stopped in Texarkana for fuel, and continued our journey to Lufkin. |
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We were met at Angelina County Airport near Lufkin, TX, by Jeff, Chip and Dan. After checking into our hotel, we unloaded our gear from the plane so the NRL crew could instrument it that night. |
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A rainy day in Lufkin. |
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A spare room at the airport was turned into the NRL Command Center. |
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The weather was not going to cooperate, so we spent the time changing the oil in the airplane. |
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Dan and Jeff continue hooking up the gear. |
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Dan and Omar go through a pre-flight check of the sensor. |
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Omar and Jeff make a visual assessment of the terrain through the An-2's belly port. |
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Today's search area is a 4-mile wide swath on a 100-mile long stretch of the Toledo Bend Reservoir. |
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Omar tries his hand at flying the An-2. |
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Jeff and Dan capture data. |
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This is home for a while. |
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Chip shows a possible target on the map. |
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Jeff sports a (3M5) Moontown shirt. |
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Blackhawks involved in the search efforts. |
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Mission flight #2. The total search area is 60,000 square miles. |
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The black lines depict the target lines that we are to follow while NRL collects data. |
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RTB Lufkin. Mission complete. |
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The shuttle debris could be anywhere. This shot was on the local news showing a piece of debris lodged in a tree. |
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Foul weather is moving in. |
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Search and Rescue K-9 units are moved in. |
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Bosh and Jeff discuss the weather issues. |
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Flight Crew #1. (L to R) Omar, Chip, Dan, Jeff, Bosh, and Mike. |
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Analyzing data from the previous flight. |
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Jeff explains to Astronaut Jim Reilly, the search area. |
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Bad weather is expected to last for the next four days. So, we decide to drive back to Huntsville. Bosh covers the sensor port to protect the equipment. |
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Bosh and I get an early start for the long drive home. |
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A local paper shows Navy divers going down in and around our target area. |
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Bosh has meetings in D.C. so a qualified An-2 replacement pilot was arranged. Tom and I make the 11 hour drive back to Lufkin. |
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Pilot Tom. |
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Lots of choppers on hand. |
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Constant activity in the airport lobby. |
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STS-107 sticker for the door. |
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Astronaut Jerry Ross spends some time touring the An-2. |
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Bill. |
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Joe is hiding behind the rack. |
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Mission Flight #3. Base line data collection. |
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Co-pilot, Uncle Tom. |
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Analyzing data. |
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Mission complete. Bill removes the computers and sensor. |
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Joe. |
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The gear is boxed and ready to ship back to D.C. |
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Found debris is cataloged with GPS data. |
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The first 2 hours of the return trip were spent at 1,200 feet because of low ceilings. |
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The flight home was much faster that the trip to Texas. We were being pushed by a storm front. |
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