When Sean O’Keefe became NASA Administrator in 2001, he never imagined he’d be leading the space agency through one of its darkest periods.
It was February 1, 2003 when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up after a failed re-entry in the earth’s atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board were killed.
“I was with the families of all of the astronaut crewmembers of the Columbia at the Kennedy Space Center right there at the landing strip and the countdown was occurring” recalls O’Keefe. “There’s a usual tell-tale sign that right prior to the landing you can hear two sonic booms which is the speed of the orbiter moving through the sound barrier and landing within a minute and a half thereafter and you could see it land, and when the sonic booms didn’t show up it was pretty evident that this was going to be a really challenging day.”
O’Keefe says families were immediately moved to the center’s crew quarters, where he was able to visit with them throughout the day and share the latest information.
“The courage that they demonstrated that day became the source of resolve thereafter that all of us throughout the agency, throughout NASA, relied upon as a way to continually encourage us to do what they admonished us to do which was to find out what happened, go fix it, and then rededicate ourselves to the very objectives in which their loved ones had given their lives for” he adds.
O’Keefe left NASA in 2005 but says he has stayed in contact with the Columbia families ever since the tragedy.
He now teaches at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
UNDATED FILE PHOTO: The crew of Space Shuttle Columbia’s mission STS-107 pose for the traditional crew portrait. Seated in front are astronauts Rick D. Husband (L), mission commander; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing are (L to R) astronauts David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, and Michael P. Anderson, all mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist representing the Israeli Space Agency. Columbia broke up upon re-entry to earth February 1, 2003. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board investigators say that a culture of low funding, strict scheduling and an eroded safety program at NASA doomed the flight of the space shuttle. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) 
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES: NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe speaks about the ambitions and vision of US space programmes 14 January 2004 at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC. Moments earlier US President George W. Bush called for a US return to the moon as early as 2015, saying a lunar base would be a launch pad for a manned Mars mission and “a human presence across our solar system.”AFP Photo/Stephen JAFFE (Photo credit should read STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP via Getty Images) 
SHREVEPORT, LA – FEBRUARY 8: (L to R) U.S. Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, Chairman of the Mishap Investigation Team David Whittle and astronaut John Casper walk out of a hangar where debris from the space shuttle Columbia is being collected at Barksdale Air Force Base February 8, 2003 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The debris will be moved to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida starting February 11, according to a NASA spokesman. Columbia broke apart on reentry February 1, leaving a trail of debris stretching hundreds of miles from central Texas to Louisiana. Investigators are checking out reports of debris discovered in several other states as well. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images) 
SHREVEPORT, LA – FEBRUARY 8: NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (C) examines debris with members of the Mishap Investigation Team in the hangar where debris from the space shuttle Columbia is being collected at Barksdale Air Force Base February 8, 2003 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The debris will be moved to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida starting February 11, according to a NASA spokesman. Columbia broke apart on reentry February 1, leaving a trail of debris stretching hundreds of miles from central Texas to Louisiana. Investigators are checking out reports of debris discovered in several other states as well. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images) 
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA – APRIL 28: In this NASA handout, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe examines a piece of debris from Space Shuttle Columbia April 28, 2003 at the Kennedy Space Center, Floridia. More than 70,000 items have been delivered to the space center in the ongoing mishap investigation. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) (NASA HANDOUT) 
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA – APRIL 28: In this NASA handout, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (L) and Shuttle Test Director Steve Altemus, a member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team look over pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia April 28, 2003 at the Kennedy Space Center, Floridia. More than 70,000 items have been delivered to the space center in the ongoing mishap investigation. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) (NASA HANDOUT) 
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 1: NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right in red) and Bill Readdy, Associate Administrator for Space Flight and former astronaut, take part in their first formal briefing at the agency’s Situation Room February 1, 2003 at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Senior NASA managers from across the agency stay in constant contact as developments in the Space Shuttle accident unfold. For much of Saturday, O’Keefe and Readdy were managing NASA’s emergency response from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they were originally expecting to greet the returning STS-107 crew. (Photo by NASA/Bill Ingalls/Getty Images) 
ARLINGTON, VA – MARCH 7: NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe watches as Air Force personnel fold the flag from the casket of Columbia Space Shuttle astronaut Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson during a full honor funeral service March 7, 2003 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Columbia exploded while re-entering the earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003, killing all seven on board. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) 
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 6: (FILE PHOTO) NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe speaks during a memorial service for the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia at the Washington National Cathedral on February 6, 2003 in Washington, DC. NASA Mission Control lost contact with the Space Shuttle Columbia during the reentry phase of mission STS-107 on February 1, 2003 and later learned that the shuttle had broken up over Texas. All seven astronauts on board were lost. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) 
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 6: (FILE PHOTO) NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe speaks during a memorial service for the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia at the Washington National Cathedral on February 6, 2003 in Washington, DC. NASA Mission Control lost contact with the Space Shuttle Columbia during the reentry phase of mission STS-107 on February 1, 2003 and later learned that the shuttle had broken up over Texas. All seven astronauts on board were lost. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) 
NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (C), with US Vice President Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney, is consoled by his wife Laura O’Keefe (CR) and his sister Shannon O’Keefe (L) 06 February 2003 during the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial Service held atthe National Cathedral in Washington, DC. The Shuttle Columbia, carrying 6 Americans and the first Israeli astronaut, disintegrated into flames over the Dallas Fort Worth area minutes before it was scheduled to land in Florida. AFP PHOTO/ Shawn THEW (Photo credit should read SHAWN THEW/AFP/GettyImages) 
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 4: NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (R) speaks during the memorial service for the astronauts who died in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster February 4, 2003 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The memorial was attended by U.S. President George W. Bush, NASA employees and the families of the crew. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images) 
WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 12: NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the House Science Committee February 12, 2003 in Washington DC. The Committee is hearing testimony on the space shuttle Columbia investigation. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
