Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster
Spacecraft Disintegration Kills Seven Astronauts
February 1, 2003
Pasadena, CA - The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana on Saturday, February 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts on board. The disaster occurred as the spacecraft was re-entering Earth's atmosphere, just 16 minutes before it was scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The cause of the disaster is still under investigation, but it is believed that a piece of foam insulation from the shuttle's external fuel tank may have struck the shuttle's wing during launch, damaging the wing's heat shield. This damage may have allowed hot gases to enter the wing during re-entry, causing the wing to fail.
The Columbia disaster was the second fatal space shuttle accident in NASA's history. The first occurred in 1986, when the shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch, killing all seven astronauts on board.
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