The news exploded like a nuclear bomb at NASA headquarters in Washington.
What was originally deemed a routine medical incident had now escalated into a potentially lethal emergency. Chief Jim Basa immediately activated the top-level emergency protocol.
There had been no fatal disasters in American space exploration since the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 2003. If something befell Steven, it would be impossible to explain.
On February 1, 2003, the Columbia Space Shuttle was entering the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, on the verge of completing its 28th mission.
Then disaster struck. The shuttle exploded and disintegrated, killing all seven astronauts on board.
The wreckage from the Columbia explosion scattered from the suburbs of Dallas all the way to Tyler, with some even falling in Louisiana.
Like the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster in 1986, the shuttles were grounded for two years following the accident.
