SHUTTLE TRAGEDY

Shuttle Fuel Cell

Italian TV Reporter Gerardo Greco observes a fallen fuel cell with an East Texas property owner.

 Saturday, February 1, 2003 became another dark day in American history, as Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated and fell over the skies of East Texas.  Working his back yard that morning, Jim Zura heard the news come over the radio.

"I was immediately stunned, saddened, and bewildered about what had happened and why.  My next thought was apprehensive: 'Oh, dear, I know I'm gonna get a call.'"
"Covering a shocking tragedy like this a very difficult and emotional experience.  But it's one aspect of my work.  Plus, having been fascinated by our space program all my life, I was intensely curious about this disaster.  So when called upon by RAI-Italian TV Network/CBS,  I packed the gear and headed for Nacogdoches."

Night Workers
Officials worked late into the night, identifying and classifying remnants of the shuttle.

Large Shuttle Remnant
Probably the most photographed single piece of debris in history:  a large piece of Columbia that fell in a bank parking lot in Nacogdoches.

Nacogdoches Memorial
Local  mourners lined the perimiter of "Ground Zero" (the bank parking lot) with flowers and tributes to our fallen heroes.

One of many fragments
Sadly, it was not difficult to find elements to photograph.  Pieces were everywhere.

NASA memorial
Similar sentiments could be found in Houston at NASA.

Shuttle Piping
A police officer examines a charred piece of piping.  It was horrifying to realize how such a huge spacecraft could be reduced to such a scattering of small pieces.
In an instant, the small, quiet college town of Nacogdoches was swarmed by international media.   However, the solemness of the event, the desire of the locals to share their stories, and the collective  bewilderment of all led to a low-key experience.

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