On the Development of a Comprehensive Hazard Modeling Tool through Distributed Simulation: Learning from the Columbia Space Shuttle Accident

The tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003 during its reentry phase raised legitimate concerns on the safety of the public on the ground associated with the operation of launch vehicles. Although there was no human casualty reported, the outcome of this accident could have been much different. In this paper, we investigate the use of distributed simulation and information fusion to better predict the effects, in terms of expectations of casualties (E_C), of the different hazards produced by an accidental or instructed loss of such a vehicle. A prototype is described.