Woman of the Week – Judith Resnik

Judith Resnik was an American engineer and NASA astronaut who was killed when the Challenger space shuttle was destroyed in 1986.

She was only the second American woman astronaut in space, after Sally Ride. In high school, she was a strong student of classical piano, math, and science. She studied electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. From there, she was hired at RCA as an engineer.

Resnik was recruited into the astronaut program in January 1978. Her first space flight was as a mission specialist on the maiden voyage of Discovery, from August to September 1984. She was also a mission specialist aboard Challenger for STS-51-L. She was the first American Jewish astronaut to go into space, the first Jewish woman, and at the time only the second Jewish person to go to space (after Boris Volynov of the Soviet Union).

Though her life was short, Resnik’s impact has inspired many and her life was notable. Her first trip to space was a successful 7-day voyage, during which the crew deployed three satellites. The crew earned the name "Icebusters" in successfully removing hazardous ice particles from the orbiter using the Remote Manipulator System. STS 41-D completed 96 orbits of the earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 5, 1984. With the completion of this flight she logged 144 hours and 57 minutes in space.

About two years later, the Challenger crew was prepared to go into space. The crew on board the Orbiter Challenger included the spacecraft commander, Mr. F.R. Scobee, the pilot, Commander M.J. Smith (USN), fellow mission specialists, Dr. R.E. McNair, and Lieutenant Colonel E.S. Onizuka (USAF), as well as two civilian payload specialists, Mr. G.B. Jarvis and Mrs. S. C. McAuliffe.

On January 28, 1986, the Challenger broke apart just 73 seconds into its flight, which lead to the deaths of all seven people on board. The spacecraft disintegrated over the ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Disintegration of the vehicle began after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. This part was not designed to fly under unusually cold conditions, like this launch. Its failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized burning gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent SRB aft field joint attachment hardware and external fuel tank. This led to the separation of the right-hand SRB's aft field joint attachment and the structural failure of the external tank.

The shuttle did not have an escape system, it did have ejection seats. However, the impact with the ocean’s surface was likely too violent for anyone to have survived. It is believed some crew members survived the initial breakup of the spacecraft, but the exact times of death are still not known to this day.

The disaster was broadcast live on television from the Kennedy Space Center, and further media coverage following the accident was extensive.

Both of Resnik's flights were marred by technical problems and delays, Deason said. The first was delayed twice; the second, five times.

Resnik’s legacy is strong. She has been awarded several posthumous honors. Landmarks and buildings have been named after her.

In 1986, the IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award was established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Annually, it is presented to people who have made outstanding contributions to space engineering and other fields.

Sources:

http://biography.yourdictionary.com/judith-arlene-resnik

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Resnik

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/resnik.html

http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2011/01/family_friends_of_astronaut_ju.html

https://www.ieee.org/about/awards/tfas/resnik.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster