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when NASA Space Shuttle was designed as

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a reusable vehicle more than 30 years

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ago the spacecraft was not the only part

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of the high-tech recyclable system the

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twin solid rocket boosters that helped

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power the shuttles have sent to space

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have been refurbished and used multiple

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times during the shuttle program but to

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do that they had to be retrieved from

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the Atlantic Ocean after each launch

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after burnout the spent boosters tumble

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earthwork for about 45 miles before

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parachuting final few miles to the water

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the job of retrieving these 149 footlong

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boosters has fallen to an elite team of

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divers aboard the NASA vessels Liberty

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star and freedom star these ships were

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designed specifically for the test of

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booster recovery each ship carries a

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crew of 10 and an additional 10 member

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dive team about 24 hours before each

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launch the two ships set out to sea from

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Port Canaveral on Florida's east coast

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to be stationed near the zone where the

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Boosters will fall we will plan to

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arrive on station about four hours

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before launch and we have to get there

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before that so that we can clear the

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area there's a box that we have to keep

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clear of ships that's close to the

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impact area but the divers go to work

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long before the retrieval even begins

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prior to launch we will have all of the

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dive gear ready all of our camera gear

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ready all the retrieval equipment ready

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to go the booster recovery is unlike any

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other diving job the divers operate the

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cranes they operate the small boats they

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operate the reels they're the diver

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medics that operate the recompression

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chamber

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you know they fill the tanks leave the

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dives they do the diving I mean it's

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everybody is doing everything

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from their vantage point in the Atlantic

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the team is able to spot the Boosters

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after they fall away from the ascending

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shuttle and that's when they spring into

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action we are not allowed in until after

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it's cleared so the Boosters land and we

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could be anywhere from 10 to 20 miles

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away from the boosters it can take us

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about an hour to get to the boosters and

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where we are before beginning the

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retrieval process the team conducts a

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complete visual inspection using still

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and video photography imagery of any

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areas of concern can be sent back to

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shore for analysis once the inspection

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is complete the divers begin the

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recovery first recovered are the

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parachutes which are also recycled for

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future flights then the frustum and

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drogue chutes are recovered and brought

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on board the ship's the next operation

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would be to launch the diver operated

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plug which is about 1,400 pounds so it's

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not unusual for us to have seven divers

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on that dive to put the plug in so we

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dive it down attach inch-and-a-half

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air line to that and start blowing air

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into the booster that forces the water

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out of the booster and the booster rises

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up out of the water and falls over on

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its side we attach an inch and a half

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steel cable once it's is the water and

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proceed to tow it back to port the

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highly practiced procedure doesn't

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always go as planned with the ships and

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divers up against weather and sea

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conditions the roughest mission was

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probably SPF 63 the conditions were so

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bad that the boosters were badly damaged

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the nozzles were broken loose the

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forward skirts were damaged and in fact

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one of them fell off on the way back in

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the conditions were so bad that for many

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many days we couldn't even attempt the

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recovery these skilled teams of divers

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aboard the freedom star and Liberty star

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completed their last booster recovery

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following the launch of atlantis on the

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ts 1:35 mission as the space shuttle

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program draws to a close what might have

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been on their minds

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during that final dive in York so busy

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doing the job and you know trying to

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make sure that the job is done correctly

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and that everybody gets home safely that

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you don't really have time to think