A Question of Perception
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April 13, 1970 halfway to the moon, an explosion rocked the command module of
Apollo 13. Jim Lovell relayed the news to Earth with his now famous, calm and
collected words "Houston, we've had a problem". Had this explosion's origin
been in a slightly different location, those might have been the last words
we ever heard from Lovell and the crew of Apollo 13. Had that been the fate
of 13 and somehow Lovell's word's misunderstood, say perhaps- "Houston, we've
it brought 'em", lost might have been the revealed quality of composure, in
an astronaut staring at possible and even immanent death.
Cut to 2003 and the reentry of STS-107. I think the general perception is that the crew was unaware that anything was amiss until Columbia was moments short of breaking up. I don't believe that was the case.
Already riding the razor's edge of the reentry process, the crew had the foreshadowing knowledge of the foam strike and in fact had viewed it via uploaded video. What the origin of the flash over Nevada was, we may never know, but I feel it marked a moment for the crew. A moment in which the foam strike suddenly had new and possibly ominous meaning for them, and a moment when the razor's edge probably felt that much sharper. I'm sure that flash lit up the crew cabin like a giant strobe light and then a minute or so later debris 14 slowly lifted up and behind the shuttle, again blaring it's light into the cabin. Husband and Chawla had been there before, so these "flares" were most likely very troubling. They knew these events were anomalous and if anything was wrong on reentry you are in big trouble.
Most people who have followed the details of this story know that Rick Husband's final words at 8:59:32 were "Roger, uh, bu...". But for me the last cogent thought expressed by Husband happened on his previous call down. At 8:58:48 it is officially transcribed that he said "and uh Hou..." before being cut off. That seems an odd transmission, for the commander to start a thought in mid sentence, as if he were trying to finish a previous thought. A previous thought, that would've been voiced at least 5 minutes earlier, based on the audio recordings. Yes, this was an odd transmission, but not for the reasons I just mentioned. Perhaps "unusual" is the better word to describe it, and I think therein lies the reason Houston then called back "...and we did not copy your last", for Husband's words fell outside of the lexicon for reentry communications. "Unintelligible"as Husband's communication is sometimes described, but in my humble opinion "unbelievable" was probably closer to the truth.
For me, Husband's words represent an acknowledgment that he was aware they had (or might have) a problem, and despite the weight of this knowledge, the composure of that astronaut and his crew remained steady. Had the cabin video continued on until and then after some of the debris events occurred, I suspect a much less jovial mood would have been apparent.
So what do I hear Husband say? Well he doesn't say "and uh Hou..." I think he says "feelin' that heat". That was his and STS-107's "Houston, we've had a problem". Absolutely and highly subjective as all of this is, I think Husband's brief blurt was a product of him being a proud pilot. If his "bird" was going to go down, it was going down with him tuned in, knowing, "riding the reality". It was a statement for the record.
Sadly, I feel that lost now, is the correct (and more courageous) perception of the final minutes for this crew and their mission, in large part due to this misunderstanding. Unequivocally, I do not view this as any type of cover-up, but an honest mistake that needs to be looked at, for history's sake.
Here is the flight loop beginning at 8:58:39. Again, the quote in question occurs at 8:58:48 or 9 seconds after play starts. I ran the audio out to loss of signal at 8:59:32, but removed some silent periods. To put this audio into better context, please download the Real-Time reentry video.
(some people seemed to have a tough time understanding where to listen. Also, the conversation you hear, is going on between the mission control people, not between Columbia and the ground. The only time we hear a call "up" to Columbia is when you hear the call- "and Columbia we see your tire pressure messages and we did not copy your last". The only time we hear Columbia is the quote in question and the infamous "Roger, uh bu..."
To make it easier, here is the quote in question. I have it repeated 9 times. 3 times at normal speed, 3 at 115% speed and 3 at 85% speed. The last run at each speed has the upper and lower frequencies taken down, so that the mid-range is clearer... the voice range. Here is one more version- I split the 4 sylables. The first two sylables are repeated and brought up to regular speed, then the last two sylables are repeated. Finally the whole phrase is played as one. The equalization was not touched.)
I'd love to hear your opinion as to what Rick Husband says.
Sometime in the not too distant future, a movie will be made about 107. Maybe they'll get the ending right.
Chris Valentine (EOC2-4-0017)
Please feel free to use any of the graphics, if
it can help promote the continuing positive spirit of
STS-107 
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