PPE: Respirator Usage and Safety. A respirator is a personal protective device that is worn on the face. It covers the nose and mouth and is specifically designed to provide respiratory protection by forming a tight seal against the wearerâs skin. Respirators vary in their level of protection and efficiency to filter out airborne particles.
In 2003, Columbia disintegrated over Texas while returning from a 16-day trip to space. Later analysis found that a small bit of foam insulation that broke off an external fuel tank during launch had torn a hole in the orbiter's wing and led to the disaster. Gene Grush recounts the events from NASA's perspective.
Challenger explosion remembered: Look back at the News' 1986 space shuttle disaster report. Nasa handout picture dated November 1985 shows the crew of the doomed Challenger space shuttle. This report originally appeared in the Jan. 29, 1986 edition of the Daily News -- the day following the space shuttle disaster. Man's dream of conquering space died a little yesterday.