It wasn’t until 10 minutes later, at 8:53 a.m.–as the shuttle was 231,000 feet above the California coastline traveling at 23 times the speed of sound–that the first indications of trouble began. During the crew's 16 days in space, NASA investigated a foam strike that took place during launch. On Saturday February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia exploded over Texas upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. This problem with foam had been known for years, and NASA came under intense scrutiny in Congress and in the media for allowing the situation to continue. February 1, 1884: The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, is published. Columbia disaster, breakup of the U.S. space shuttle orbiter Columbia on February 1, 2003, that claimed the lives of all seven astronauts on board just minutes before it was to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In July 2005, STS-114 lifted off and tested a suite of new procedures, including one where astronauts used cameras and a robotic arm to scan the shuttle's belly for broken tiles. In August 2003, an investigation board issued a report that revealed that it in fact would have been possible either for the Columbia crew to repair the damage to the wing or for the crew to be rescued from the shuttle. As of late 2017, the companies SpaceX and Boeing both planned to start test commercial crew flights in 2019. In all, 84,800 pounds, or 38 percent of the total dry weight of Columbia, was recovered. READ MORE: Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, Columbia Space Shuttle mission ends in disaster, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/columbia-mission-ends-in-disaster. The Columbia‘s 28th space mission, designated STS-107, was originally scheduled to launch on January 11, 2001, but was delayed numerous times for a variety of reasons over nearly two years. On 1 February 2003, investigators believe another space shuttle had a cracked left wing. Twelve minutes later, when Columbia should have been making its final approach to the runway, a mission controller received a phone call. The seven person Columbia crew was scheduled to conduct numerous scientific experiments and return to earth on February 1. This image from a NASA handout video shows a close up of a piece of debris falling from the external tank, then striking the left-wing of the Space Shuttle Columbia during launch on January 16, 2003. However, Columbia's final mission, known as STS-107, emphasized pure research. It was later found that a hole on the left wing allowed atmospheric gases to bleed into the shuttle as it went through its fiery re-entry, leading to the loss of the sensors and eventually, Columbia itself and the astronauts inside. READ MORE: Space Exploration: Timeline and Technologies. From left (bottom row): Kalpana Chawla, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon. "We're still going to watch and we're still going to pay attention," STS-121 commander Steve Lindsey said at the time. The space shuttle Columbia, on Mission STS-107, broke up on Feb. 1, 2003, killing its seven-member crew. The shuttle fleet was maintained long enough to complete construction of the International Space Station, with most missions solely focused on finishing the building work; the ISS was also viewed as a safe haven for astronauts to shelter in case of another foam malfunction during launch. See how the Columbia shuttle accident occurred in this SPACE.com infographic. The accident forced many people to recall the Challenger space shuttle disaster over fifteen years earlier. NASA's space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, in a tragic disaster that killed the shuttle's seven-astronaut crew. STS-107. Feb. 1, 2003: Space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing 7 astronauts. Eighty seconds into the launch, a piece of foam insulation broke off from the shuttle’s propellant tank and hit the edge of the shuttle’s left wing. The Columbia mission was the second space shuttle disaster after Challenger, which saw a catastrophic failure during launch in 1986. "We're never ever going to let our guard down. Imaged released May 15, 2003. While February 1 was an occasion for mourning, the efforts that ensued can be a source of national pride. In the weeks after the disaster, a dozen officials began sifting through the Columbia disaster, led by Harold W. Gehman Jr., former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. Columbia finally launched on January 16, 2003, with a crew of seven. As some might reckon it, the beginning of the end for NASA's space shuttle program came 10 years ago Friday, at 8:48:39 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. The report is posted here in three versions: Copies of the report can be ordered from the Government Printing Office. The deep rumble, which started just before 8 a.m. Central time, marked the explosive end of the shuttle and the tragic death of all seven astronauts on board. Two years after losing to Kennedy, Nixon ran for governor of California and lost in ...read more, The Misfits, a flawed but moving meditation on the vanishing spirit of western independence, opens in theaters on February 1, 1961. Mission. NASA suspended space shuttle flights for more than two years as it investigated the disaster. Credit: NASA. The Columbias 28th space mission, designated STS-107, was originally scheduled to launch on January 11, 2001, but was delayed numerous times for a variety of reasons over nearly two years. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board released Volume I of its final report on Aug. 26, 2003. Perhaps the fissure was a little wider; this time, Nasa's luck ran out. The Columbia could have stayed in orbit until February 15 and the already planned launch of the shuttle Atlantis could have been moved up as early as February 10, leaving a short window for repairing the wing or getting the crew off of the Columbia. 4 May 1988: Henderson, Nevada, US: 2: Space Shuttle and other solid-fuel vehicles About 82 seconds after Columbia left the ground, a piece of foam fell from a "bipod ramp" that was part of a structure that attached the external tank to the shuttle. "The shuttle is now an aging system but still developmental in character. "This is indeed a tragic day for the NASA family, for the families of the astronauts who flew on STS-107, and likewise is tragic for the nation," stated NASA's administrator at the time, Sean O'Keefe. The remains of some of the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia have ... 2003. The first space-worthy space shuttle in NASA’s orbital fleet, Columbia was first launched in April of 1981, and had successfully completed 27 missions by 2003. On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia breaks up while entering the atmosphere over Texas, killing all seven crew members on board. took to the air. Please refresh the page and try again. Seven crew members were killed. Temperature readings from sensors located on the left wing were lost. Jan. 16, 2003. The Department of Defense was reportedly prepared to use its orbital spy cameras to get a closer look. This article was updated on Jan. 26, 2021 by Space.com Reference Editor Vicky Stein. Eighty seconds into the launch, a piece of foam insulation broke off from the shuttles propellant tank and hit the edge of the shuttles left wing. Barbara Morgan is to fly in November 2003 as the first teacher in space since the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. A graphic from NASA's Day of Remembrance on Feb. 1, 2013, honors the memories of astronauts who died during the Apollo 1, space shuttle Challenger and shuttle Columbia tragedies. Gas-spewing object spotted in asteroid group near Jupiter. ... and the 28th flight of NASA's oldest shuttle appeared to be going smoothly. Most observers had written off Nixon’s political career eight years earlier, when he had lost to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election. Several people within NASA pushed to get pictures of the breached wing in orbit. The Columbia disaster was the second that occurred during NASA’s space shuttle program after the Challenger , also causing widespread sadness and concerns about the space programs. Making the tragedy even worse, two pilots aboard a search helicopter were killed in a crash while looking for debris. The tragedy that hit Apollo 1 is one of the worst space disasters in history mainly … It is in the nation's interest to replace the shuttle as soon as possible," the report stated. Apollo 1. The caller said a television network was showing video of the shuttle breaking up in the sky. Space Shuttle Columbia disaster: shuttle disintegrates in reentry, killing seven astronauts in 2003. Also, seven asteroids orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter now bear the crew's names. The performance was airing live all ...read more, By the time the first of his three career-defining operas had its premiere, Giacomo Puccini was no longer living a life of impoverished artistic struggle. scan the shuttle's belly for broken tiles, ceremonially named Columbia Memorial Station, Quartz: How the Columbia tragedy began the age of private space travel, On This Day in Space! On July 6, 1942, the Japanese landed on Guadalcanal Island, part of the Solomon Islands chain, and began constructing an ...read more. While performing a duet with Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake briefly exposed one of her breasts in what was later described as a "wardrobe malfunction." "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. On Feb. 1, 2003, the shuttle made its usual landing approach to the Kennedy Space Center. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Then, tire pressure readings from the left side of the shuttle also vanished. A notable exception to the ISS shuttle missions was STS-125, a successful 2009 flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope. The space shuttle program was retired in July 2011 after 135 missions, including the catastrophic failures of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 that killed a total of 14 astronauts. The service offered unlimited DVD rentals—and, starting in 2007, direct streaming of many of its titles—for a flat monthly fee, a wildly popular model that almost single-handedly ...read more, Antislavery crusader and Civil War veteran Harriet Tubman becomes the first African American woman to appear on a U.S. postage stamp, the first in the Post Office's Black Heritage Series. NY 10036. On its 28th flight, Columbia left Earth for the last time on Jan. 16, 2003. By 2013, Netflix had already fundamentally changed the way Americans consumed movies and television. Among the recovered material were crew remains, which were identified with DNA. Launch. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Just before 9 a.m. EST, however, abnormal readings showed up at Mission Control. Let’s take the example of one of PowerPoint’s great critics, the nonetheless-excellent Edward Tufte (author of “The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint”). A staunch Unionist, Houston’s election ...read more, On February 1, Japanese forces on Guadalcanal Island, defeated by Marines, start to withdraw after the Japanese emperor finally gives them permission. Visit our corporate site. Strangely, worms that the crew had used in a study that were stored in a canister aboard the Columbia did survive. This image of the STS-107 shuttle Columbia crew in orbit was recovered from wreckage inside an undeveloped film canister. Unrestricted ...read more, Richard M. Nixon announces his candidacy for the presidency. Last Update ... Two years after the disaster, NASA officials said … Only 81.7 seconds after liftoff, a briefcase-size piece of the brownish-orange … He died in the hospital two days later. Personal artifacts from each of the 14 astronauts are also on display. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! There was a problem. That date is marked in late January or early February because, coincidentally, the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews were all lost in that calendar week. Called "Forever Remembered," the permanent exhibit shows part of Challenger's fuselage, and window frames from Columbia. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Here's how the news broke on CNN. © NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe initially canceled this mission in 2004 out of concern from the recommendations of the CAIB, but the mission was reinstated by new administrator Michael Griffin in 2006; he said the improvements to shuttle safety would allow the astronauts to do the work safely. On the morning of January Now, astronauts from the US fly to the International Space Station on Russian Soyuz rockets or aboard commercial spacecraft, like the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules which began "space taxi" service to the ISS in 2020. The U.S. Supreme Court was established by Article Three of the U.S. Constitution, which took effect ...read more, On February 1, 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran in triumph after 15 years of exile. However, NASA officials in charge declined the offer, according to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) and "Comm Check," a 2008 book by space journalists Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, about the disaster. Columbia reentered the earth’s atmosphere on the morning of February 1. The first commercial crew flights were delayed several years due to developmental and funding delays. Some of the descendants of these roundworms flew into space in May 2011 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, shortly before the shuttle program was retired. New York, NASA eventually recovered 84,000 pieces, representing nearly 40 percent of Columbia by weight. But NASA scrutinizes the final minutes of the shuttle tragedy in a new 400-page report released Tuesday. The crew died as the shuttle disintegrated. On February 1, 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon its return from space. By ...read more, On February 1, 1861, Texas becomes the seventh state to secede from the Union when a state convention votes 166 to 8 in favor of the measure. Due to more foam loss than expected, the next shuttle flight did not take place until July 2006. His previous opera, Manon Lascaut, had made his name in the world of Italian opera, and, more important, it had earned him a ...read more, In the Royal Exchange Building on New York City’s Broad Street, the Supreme Court of the United States meets for the first time, with Chief Justice John Jay of New York presiding. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Cameras focused on the launch sequence revealed the foam collision but engineers could not pinpoint the location and extent of the damage. Columbia finally launched on January 16, 2003, with a crew of seven. NASA developed a commercial crew program to eventually replace shuttle flights to the space station, and brokered an agreement with the Russians to use Soyuz spacecraft to ferry American astronauts to orbit. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor,