For years, an unusual piece of artwork hung in Don Lind’s house. Painted by the astronaut himself, he gifted copies to his children, hopeful that they (and their children) would comprehend its message. Through Lind’s mind’s eye, Challenger launched from Earth on 29 April 1985 on STS-51B, the first ‘operational’ Spacelab mission, with 15 experiments across five disciplines—materials science, life sciences, fluid mechanics, atmospheric physics and astronomy—from the United States, France and India. In Lind’s painting, the Shuttle is cradled by two great celestial hands, as if God himself was guiding the mission to success. Lind titled his piece as ‘Three-Tenths of a Second’. When Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in January 1986, killing all seven crewmembers, the tragedy hit Lind hard. For when he flew that same vehicle, nine months earlier, his own mission was almost lost for the same reason. Rubberised O-ring seals in the SRBs, meant to stop a catastrophic leak of hot gases, had failed, cracked and come within a hair’s breadth of burning through.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Of monkeys, mice and men


    Additional title:

    Springer Praxis Books(formerly: Springer-Praxis Series)


    Contributors:
    Evans, Ben (author)


    Publication date :

    2024-04-25


    Size :

    25 pages





    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




    Monkeys to Men

    Evans, Ben | Springer Verlag | 2009


    Radiation-Induced Emesis in Monkeys

    J. L. Mattsson / M. G. Yochmowitz | NTIS | 1979



    Collection of Uncontaminated Urine from Monkeys

    Hood, W. N. / Parrott, M. W. | NTRS | 1955


    Vestibuloocular reflex of rhesus monkeys after spaceflight

    Cohen, Bernard / Kozlovskaia, Inessa / Raphan, Theodore et al. | NTRS | 1992