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.
In the case of the Columbia, he said, ''we have a shuttle that disintegrated at 200,000 feet. We don't have any videotape, and the wreckage is strewn out on land and probably more damaged than the Challenger was.'' Mr. Sensenbrenner and other lawmakers said today that Congress must quickly convene hearings into the loss of the shuttle.