Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The destruction of Space Shuttle Columbia during reentry on February 1, 2003, killed all seven crew members. Foam shed from the external tank had damaged the orbiter’s left wing during launch.

Space Shuttle external tank: The large external tank supplied propellant to the Space Shuttle’s main engines during launch. Foam insulation shed from this tank and struck Columbia’s left wing.
STS-107: The 28th Space Shuttle Columbia mission, a 16-day microgravity research flight launched in January 2003. Columbia was lost on its return from this dedicated science mission.
Rick Husband: A NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force colonel who commanded Columbia’s STS-107 mission. He led the seven-person crew lost during the disaster.
Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report: The 2003 investigation report detailing the physical causes and organizational contributors to Columbia’s destruction. It documented the accident sequence and criticized NASA’s safety culture and decision processes.
Spaceflight safety: The engineering and operational practices used to reduce risks to people and vehicles in spaceflight. Columbia became a case study in managing low-probability, high-consequence hazards.
Reinforced carbon–carbon: A heat-resistant composite used on the Space Shuttle’s wing leading edges and nose cap. Impact damage to a left-wing panel allowed superheated gas to enter during reentry.
Space Shuttle Columbia: The first operational Space Shuttle orbiter, which flew 28 missions from 1981 to 2003. The disaster destroyed this orbiter and ended its service.
Kalpana Chawla: A NASA astronaut and aerospace engineer who flew on Columbia’s STS-87 and STS-107 missions. She was one of the seven crew members aboard Columbia.
NASA safety culture: The shared practices and assumptions through which NASA identifies, communicates, and manages safety risks. The investigation found organizational failures alongside the physical damage.
Human spaceflight: Spaceflight in which people travel aboard spacecraft and perform tasks beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The disaster renewed attention to the risks inherent in crewed exploration.

Linked from 4 pages