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The destruction was due to a hole punctured in the leading edge on one of Columbia's wings. The hole had formed when a piece of insulating foam from the external fuel tank peeled off during the launch 16 days earlier and struck the shuttle's left wing. During the intense heat of re-entry, hot gases penetrated the interior of the wing, destroying the support structure and causing the rest of the shuttle to break apart.

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What space shuttle disintegrated upon re-entering the earths atmosphere?

Space Shuttle Columbia


What year did the space shuttle Columbia blow up?

The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003.


How high was the Columbia space shuttle when it disintegrated?

When Columbia disintegrated, it was 39 miles (69km) in altitude.


Where is the Columbia space shuttle now?

it disintegrated. wikipedia the Columbia disaster and that might help some.


Which space shuttle disintegrated and killed the astronaut Kalpana Chawla?

Kalpana Chawla was killed when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1 2003.


Did the space shuttle have any accidents?

Yes, 2 shuttles were destroyed and there were other minor incidents as well.


What was the name of the space shuttle that exploded in 2004?

No space shuttle exploded in 2004, but Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003.


What space shuttle exploded in 2003 february 1st?

The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated while re-entering the atmosphere; it did not explode.


How did Richard Husband die?

He died when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.


Did the crew of Columbia survive when their shuttle exploded in space?

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.


What is the name the space shuttle in which kalpana chawla went into space?

Kalpana Chawla flew on the space shuttle Columbia. She was part of the STS-87 mission in 1997 and the STS-107 mission in 2003, which unfortunately ended in tragedy when the Columbia disintegrated during re-entry.


What was the second space shuttle?

The second space shuttle was named "Challenger." It followed the first space shuttle, Columbia, in NASA's fleet of reusable spacecraft. Challenger tragically disintegrated shortly after launch in 1986.