-my wife, laurel, was on the shuttle. she was a scientist primarily involved with life sciences. one day during the mission, i was reviewing the notes, and then here s this foam issue. during launch, a large piece of foam had come off the external tank and impacted the left wing. me and my colleague had this discussion of, hey, you can use a family conference to talk to laurel and find out what she knew. -oh! -you got to remember the hat you re wearing is your flight-surgeon hat, not your family hat. it would have broken protocol for me to bring up an issue to a crew member, even though it s my wife. -i remember a certain sense of relief like, it s almost over. she s almost back. -i didn t talk to laurel about the foam issue. that conference was for iain and laurel, and i was a bystander. -i knew she was going to come back. you know, i never had a question in my mind. -given the fact that you may have lost a little bit of tile during lift-off, i m wondering
almost like a parent would talk to a child about it i told you you shouldn t do this, and look what happened. i don t know how to answer that, because he was right. i mean, honestly, the only goal i had was simply just to keep him alive. i mean, literally, it s like i don t want him to get to that despondent stage where he just says, you know, i m gonna check out and join mom now. -parents, husbands, and fathers and wives gone. i was sickened, like a body blow. and so somehow, i just got my act together, and i just started talking. the tragic loss of the space shuttle columbia
He said, im gonna grow up to be a scientist and invent a Time Machine and go back and warn her. How does a kid have that kind of insight . On occasion, he would have one of these moments where he would say, i wish she had listened to me, almost like a parent would talk to a child about it i told you you shouldnt do this, and look what happened. I dont know how to answer that, because he was right. I mean, honestly, the only goal i had was simply just to keep him alive. I mean, literally, its like i dont want him to get to that despondent stage where he just says, you know, im gonna check out and join mom now. Parents, husbands, and fathers and wives gone