Global Fastener News

Bolts Investigated in Columbia Shuttle Crash

Jason Sandefur

Investigators pushed fasteners to the forefront of the search into what caused the Columbia space shuttle to crash on Feb. 1, according to The New York Times. While the Columbia Accident Investigation Board is sticking to its theory that the crash was caused by loose insulating foam that punched a hole in the shuttle�s left wing during takeoff, new evidence has investigators wondering whether a bolt fragment may have also damaged the spacecraft.\
The Washington Post reports NASA radar of the Jan. 16 launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL, shows what may be a 40-pound bolt fragment flying away from the shuttle just after the boosters were jettisoned.
The boosters are attached to the shuttle�s fuel tank with several 80-pound bolts that are 25 inches long and three inches in diameter. The bolts are rigged with a charge that explodes about two minutes after liftoff, separating the empty boosters from the fuel tank as the shuttle continues its climb into space. To protect the spacecraft from flying bolt pieces, the shuttle is equipped with bolt catchers � 12-inch cylindrical wells that trap the fragments.
To be clear, investigators did not find fault with the bolts.
According to The Times, the board found that Columbia�s bolt catchers, manufactured by a new supplier, were not reliable. Investigators questioned quality assurance records on the part, saying �some post-manufacture examination of the welds was apparently skipped.� Pre-flight testing of the item �wasn�t done as well as it should have been,� remarked Maj. Gen. John Barry, a member of the investigation team.
NASA said there is no documented case of a bolt catcher breaking apart during a space flight. But even if a fastener fragment didn�t doom the Columbia, NASA is redesigning the bolt catchers out of a single piece of metal to address the board�s concerns about safety on future launches. A bolt fragment striking a shuttle wing during a future flight �could be potentially catastrophic to the orbiter,� Barry stated.
A full report of the investigation is due in August. �2003 FastenerNews.com