{"id":168887,"date":"2017-12-20T14:11:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T18:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-415495"},"modified":"2023-07-26T15:03:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:03:38","slug":"protecting-the-future-of-spaceflight-by-preserving-the-columbia-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nesc\/protecting-the-future-of-spaceflight-by-preserving-the-columbia-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting the Future of Spaceflight by Preserving the Columbia Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"854\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?w=1200\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Michael Ciannilli\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?resize=768,547 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?resize=1024,729 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?resize=400,285 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?resize=600,427 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?resize=900,641 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Challenger's fuselage and the Columbia flight deck windows\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/memorial_2015-2291.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day Michael Ciannilli walks among the more than 84,000 artifacts of the Space Shuttle Columbia.  Some are very small and delicate.  Bits of paper and metal.  Some occupy a more substantial space.  The air lock.  The nose landing gear.  The main engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the size of those artifacts doesn\u2019t matter to Mr. Ciannilli.  What matters is the weight of the message they carry.  It\u2019s what brought him to the job of curator and steward of the Columbia legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former NASA test director for shuttle launch and landing operations was part of the recovery efforts in 2003, when Columbia was lost during its reentry.  \u201cOnce the forensic studies were wrapped up, a decision had to be made on the best path forward,\u201d said Mr. Ciannilli.  \u201cSome folks came up with the idea to make these artifacts available for use as a powerful teaching tool for the future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s when the Columbia Preservation Office came to be.  People began coming to KSC to research the artifacts, which are housed in a 7,000-square-foot room in Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Vehicle Assembly Building.  \u201cAn apt location,\u201d said Mr. Ciannilli, \u201csince that\u2019s where Columbia\u2019s story began.\u201d  Artifacts were also sent to institutions for study, shared with academia, and used in the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to his regular duties at NASA, Mr. Ciannilli began working at the office part time in 2006 facilitating a small number of tours and answering loan requests.  A decade later, he has taken on the work of spreading Columbia\u2019s message full time.  \u201cAfter years of bringing people through the room and seeing the impact the Columbia story and its crew had on our guests, I became more convinced that Columbia is a wonderful resource to affect hearts and minds and change them for the better,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in 2016, he pushed forward a new concept, the Apollo Challenger Columbia Lessons Learned Program (ACCLLP).  \u201cAs time moves on, connections to past events recede and lessons are no longer as effective as they could be to keep us from repeating mistakes.\u201d  The ACCLLP aims to keep those lessons front and center, Mr. Ciannilli said.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ACCLLP effort is multifaceted:  Getting the word out to a broader community about Columbia and the lessons it has to teach; reinvigorating the tour, transforming it from a visually-based display of artifacts to a storytelling experience that generates discussion; and placing a deeper focus on the lessons learned and their applications to the future of space travel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To date, he\u2019s conducted four of what he calls \u201clesson learned\u201d events, part of which include bringing in key players in historical events and having them share their stories.  \u201cIt\u2019s a riveting experience,\u201d he said.  \u201cYou won\u2019t see PowerPoint charts at these events.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The room visitors see is laid out in a timeline of sorts that helps tell the Columbia story.  It starts with the recovery operation and moves into reconstruction, the investigation and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe displays and information are set up to facilitate discussions on specific topics \u2013 the airlock where crew worked every day, the items the crew interfaced with all the time.  Pieces are chosen based on the story they can tell.  We go through the cause of accident and show the lessons learned every step of the way,\u201d he said.              <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wish more people could see how the messages transform our visitors,\u201d Mr. Ciannilli added.  \u201cWhen you come face to face with it, it becomes personal.  Some remember the accident.  Some weren\u2019t born yet and don\u2019t have that personal connection.  We have to share these lessons and teach them so we don\u2019t make the same mistakes.  We have to get this right and pass this knowledge on.  If ever there was a time to do it, it\u2019s now,\u201d he said, \u201cespecially with NASA building the SLS and Orion crew vehicle and commercial providers constructing their own spacecraft to take astronauts and civilians to space.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are humbly asking the Columbia crew and vehicle to go back to work for the next mission.  The stories have an ability to teach about the future in a unique way, and I can\u2019t think of more powerful tool to do that.  These astronauts were about the future and I hope they would be proud of what we\u2019re trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Ciannilli is partnering with media outlets to carry the message forward and working with universities doing cutting edge research in system failures, offering real life experiences they can apply to what they are learning today.  And a new approach to training for the NASA workforce and its contractors is in work.  \u201cIt\u2019s a renewed effort to bring those lessons back, to bring the history back in innovative and effective ways.  It\u2019s a forward-focused vision that uses the past to inform the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not an easy job being the curator of a tragic event, however.  \u201cSometimes it\u2019s difficult.  The memories come back when we\u2019re retelling the story and you feel that pain again in the pit of your stomach.  But some of that pain is good, because we shouldn\u2019t lose that.  I do my best to focus on the power of what our experiences can do to effect change for the positive, still recognizing the tragedy, but also viewing Columbia as having a mission to perform \u2014 to change the future for the better,\u201d he said.  \u201cThat\u2019s the more positive story that we hope saves lives and makes other missions more successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Writer: Kelly Barlow<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every day Michael Ciannilli walks among the more than 84,000 artifacts of the Space Shuttle Columbia.  Some are very small and delicate.  Bits of paper and metal.  Some occupy a more substantial space.  The air lock.  The nose landing gear.  The main engines. But the size of those artifacts doesn\u2019t matter to Mr. Ciannilli.  What [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274,"featured_media":174605,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2866],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Protecting the Future of Spaceflight by Preserving the Columbia Legacy","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nesc\/protecting-the-future-of-spaceflight-by-preserving-the-columbia-legacy\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nesc\/protecting-the-future-of-spaceflight-by-preserving-the-columbia-legacy\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel Hoffpauir"}],"creator":["Daniel Hoffpauir"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Centers & Facilities","NASA Engineering and Safety Center"],"dateCreated":"2017-12-20T18:11:00Z","datePublished":"2017-12-20T18:11:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T19:03:38Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Protecting the Future of Spaceflight by Preserving the Columbia Legacy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/nesc\/protecting-the-future-of-spaceflight-by-preserving-the-columbia-legacy\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2017-12-20T18:11:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,NASA Engineering and Safety Center\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Daniel Hoffpauir\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"time_ago":"6 years","featured_image":{"id":174605,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/shuttle-michael-ciannilli.jpg","title":"shuttle-michael-ciannilli","alt":"Michael Ciannilli","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168887"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249780,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168887\/revisions\/249780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168887"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=168887"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=168887"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=168887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}