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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
Related
Topics: Museums in Texas
Texas
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