Columbia disaster
Orbiter breakup 2003
The Columbia disaster was the breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003, during reentry into Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.
Foam insulation had damaged the shuttle's heat shield during launch.
The tragedy, sixteen years after the Challenger explosion, led to the eventual retirement of the Space Shuttle program.
- space shuttleReusable crewed orbital vehicle
- shuttleShort-distance transport
- NASAFederal space exploration bureau
- mission controlEarth-based space operations hub
- astronautsCrew of spacecraft
reentry · heat shield · debris · foam · left wing · Texas · explosion · tragedy · tiles · heat · breakup · crew · memorial · investigation · spacecraft · February · 2003 · Challenger