The Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry on February 1, 2003, due to damage sustained during launch. A piece of foam insulation from the external tank struck the left wing, compromising the thermal protection system. As Columbia re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, superheated gases penetrated the damaged wing, leading to the loss of structural integrity and ultimately the disintegration of the spacecraft. This tragic incident highlighted critical flaws in NASA's safety protocols and risk assessment processes.
Columbia
The Columbia space shuttle was destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003, due to damage sustained to its heat shield during launch. A piece of foam insulation from the external fuel tank struck the shuttle's left wing, causing critical damage that led to the disintegration of the spacecraft upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
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.
Columbia was on its 28th mission when it disintegrated during re-entry in 2003. Its first mission was the first by a space shuttle into space.
Columbia, which was destroyed during re-entry in February 2003.
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The space shuttles lost to accidents were the Challenger, which disintegrated in 1986 shortly after launch, and the Columbia, which broke apart during re-entry in 2003. Both accidents resulted in the loss of all crew members aboard.
2003-Spacecraft Columbia explodes during entry back to Earth.
The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first US space shuttle. Columbia took its maiden voyage in 1981. In 2003, Columbia was destroyed during re-entry, which resulted in the death of its entire crew.
Challenger was destroyed in a launch accident on January 28, 1986.Columbia was destroyed during reentry on February 1, 2003.The surviving four shuttles are Enterprise (flight tests), Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour (built to replace Challenger).
The first operational Space Shuttle was named "Columbia." It completed its first mission in April 1981 and went on to fly a total of 28 missions before tragically breaking apart during re-entry in 2003.
Kalpana Chawla died in the space shuttle Columbia during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003.