Glass Rocket
Series: The Space Shuttle
Publisher: The BBC
Episode number: 4
Length (minutes): 46
Description:
Columbia reaches orbit. But astronaut Bob Crippen discovers that the shuttle has been damaged – can he and John Young make it home safely?
Parts of the heatshield to protect the shuttle from searing temperatures on re-entry to Earth have fallen off during the journey into space. This new heatshield has never been tested before in orbit. Could more tiles be missing?