Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

{{Main|Space Shuttle}}

File:STS-107 launchpad circled.jpg (ET) is the left bipod foam ramp, and the circled area on the orbiter is the location that was damaged.]]

The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable spacecraft operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).{{cite report |url=https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/assets/rogers_commission_report.pdf |title=Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident |last1=Rogers |first1=William P. |last2=Armstrong |first2=Neil A. |date=June 6, 1986 |publisher=NASA |volume=1 |last3=Acheson |first3=David C. |last4=Covert |first4=Eugene E. |last5=Feynman |first5=Richard P. |last6=Hotz |first6=Robert B. |last7=Kutyna |first7=Donald J. |last8=Ride |first8=Sally K |last9=Rummel |first9=Robert W. |last10=Sutter |first10=Joseph F. |last11=Walker |first11=Arthur B.C. |last12=Wheelon |first12=Albert D. |last13=Yeager |first13=Charles E. |author-link1=William P. Rogers |author-link2=Neil Armstrong |access-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018005636/https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/assets/rogers_commission_report.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2020 |author-link3=David Campion Acheson |author-link4=Eugene E. Covert |author-link5=Richard Feynman |author-link7=Donald Kutyna |author-link8=Sally Ride |author-link10=Joe Sutter |author-link11=Arthur B. C. Walker Jr. |author-link13=Chuck Yeager |url-status=live}}{{Reference page|pages=5, 195}} It flew in space for the first time in April{{nbsp}}1981,{{r|jenkins2016}}{{Reference page|page=III-24}} and was used to conduct in-orbit research,{{cite book |last= Jenkins |first= Dennis R. |title= Space Shuttle: Developing an Icon – 1972–2013|isbn=978-1580072496|location=Forest Lake |publisher= Specialty Press |date= 2016}}{{Reference page|III-188}} and deploy commercial, military, and scientific payloads.{{r|jenkins2016}}{{Reference page|pages=III-66, 68, 148}} At launch, it consisted of the orbiter, which contained the crew and payload, the external tank (ET), and the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs).{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Dennis R. |title=Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System|location=Stillwater |publisher=Voyageur Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0963397454 }}{{Reference page|page=363}} The orbiter was a reusable, winged vehicle that launched vertically and landed as a glider.{{r|jenkins2016}}{{Reference page|II-1}} Five operational orbiters were built during the Space Shuttle program.{{r|rogers_com|p=5}} {{OV|102|full=no}} was the first space-rated orbiter constructed, following the atmospheric test vehicle {{OV|101|full=no}}. The orbiter contained the crew compartment, where the crew predominantly lived and worked throughout a mission.{{r|jenkins2016}}{{Reference page|II-5}} Three Space Shuttle main engines (SSMEs) were mounted at the aft end of the orbiter and provided thrust during launch.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|II-170}} Once in space, the crew maneuvered using the two smaller, aft-mounted Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|page=II-79}}

The orbiter was protected from heat during reentry by the thermal protection system (TPS), a thermal soaking protective layer around the orbiter. In contrast with previous US spacecraft, which had used ablative heat shields, the reusability of the orbiter required a multi-use heat shield.{{cite book |last=Baker |first=David |author-link=David Baker (author) |title=NASA Space Shuttle: Owners' Workshop Manual |publisher=Zenith Press |year= 2011 |location=Somerset, UK |isbn=978-1844258666}}{{Reference page|72–73}} During reentry, the TPS experienced temperatures up to {{convert|3000|F|C|sigfig=2|abbr=on|order=flip}}, but had to keep the orbiter vehicle's aluminum skin temperature below {{convert|350|F|C|sigfig=2|abbr=on|order=flip}}. The TPS primarily consisted of four sub-systems. The nose cone and leading edges of the wings experienced temperatures above {{convert|2300|F|C|sigfig=2|abbr=on|order=flip}}, and were protected by the composite material reinforced carbon–carbon (RCC). Thicker RCC was developed and installed in 1998 to prevent damage from micrometeoroid and orbital debris.{{Reference page|pages=II-112–113}} The entire underside of the orbiter vehicle, as well as the other hottest surfaces, were protected with black high-temperature reusable surface insulation. Areas on the upper parts of the orbiter vehicle were covered with white low-temperature reusable surface insulation, which provided protection at temperatures below {{convert|1200|F|C|sigfig=2|abbr=on|order=flip}}. The payload bay doors and parts of the upper wing surfaces were covered with reusable felt surface insulation, as the temperature there remained below {{convert|700|F|C|sigfig=2|abbr=on|order=flip}}.{{Reference page|page=395}}

Two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) were connected to the ET, and burned for the first two minutes of flight.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|page=II-222}} The SRBs separated from the ET once they had expended their fuel and fell into the Atlantic Ocean under a parachute.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|II-289}} NASA retrieval teams recovered the SRBs and returned them to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where they were disassembled and their components were reused on future flights.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|page=II-292}}

When the Space Shuttle launched, the orbiter and SRBs were connected to the ET, which held the fuel for the SSMEs.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|page=II-222}} The ET consisted of a tank for liquid hydrogen (LH2), stored at {{convert|-423|F|C|order=flip|sigfig=3}} and a smaller tank for liquid oxygen (LOX), stored at {{convert|-297|F|C|order=flip|sigfig=3}}. It was covered in insulating foam to keep the liquids cold and prevent ice forming on the tank's exterior. The orbiter connected to the ET via two umbilicals near its bottom and a bipod near its top section.{{cite report |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20030066167/downloads/20030066167.pdf |title=Report of Columbia Accident Investigation Board |last1=Gehman |first1=Harold |last2=Barry |first2=John |date=August 26, 2003 |publisher=NASA |volume=1 |last3=Deal |first3=Duane |last4=Hallock |first4=James |last5=Hess |first5=Kenneth |last6=Hubbard |first6=G. Scott |last7=Logsdon |first7=John |last8=Osheroff |first8=Douglas D. |last9=Ride |first9=Sally |author-link1=Harold W. Gehman Jr. |access-date=August 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505113049/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20030066167/downloads/20030066167.pdf |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |author-link4=James N. Hallock |author-link6=G. Scott Hubbard |author-link7=John Logsdon |author-link8=Douglas Osheroff |author-link9=Sally Ride |url-status=live |last10=Tetrault |first10=Roger |last11=Turcotte |first11=Stephen |author-link11=Stephen A. Turcotte |last12=Wallace |first12=Steven |last13=Widnall |first13=Sheila |author-link13=Sheila Widnall}}{{Reference page|pages=50–51}}

After its fuel had been expended, the ET separated from the orbiter and reentered the atmosphere, where it would break apart during reentry and its pieces would land in the Indian or Pacific Ocean.{{r|jenkins}}{{Reference page|page=II-238}}

File:Left bipod foam ramp.jpg

During the design process of the Space Shuttle, a requirement of the ET was that it would not release any debris that could potentially damage the orbiter and its TPS. The integrity of the TPS components was necessary for the survival of the crew during reentry, and the tiles and panels were only built to withstand relatively minor impacts. On STS-1, the first flight of the Space Shuttle, the orbiter Columbia was damaged during its launch from a foam strike. Foam strikes occurred regularly during Space Shuttle launches; of the 79 missions with available imagery during launch, foam strikes occurred on 65.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=121–122}}

The bipod connected the ET near the top to the front underside of the orbiter via two struts with a ramp at the tank end of each strut; the ramps were covered in foam to prevent ice from forming that could damage the orbiter. The foam on each bipod ramp was approximately {{convert|30|by|14|by|12|in|cm}}, and was carved by hand from the original foam application.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/63908main_Bipod_Fact_Sheet.pdf|title=External Tank Return to Flight Focus Area:Forward Bipod Fitting|publisher=NASA|date=August 2004|access-date=January 19, 2022|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104234744/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/63908main_Bipod_Fact_Sheet.pdf|url-status=live}} Bipod ramp foam from the left strut had been observed falling off the ET on six flights prior to STS-107, and had created some of the largest foam strikes that the orbiter experienced.{{NoteTag|No foam shedding was ever observed from the right bipod ramp. In its report, the CAIB hypothesized that this is because of the ET's liquid oxygen line, which partially shielded the right strut from aerodynamic forces.}} The first bipod ramp foam strike occurred during STS-7; the orbiter's TPS was repaired after the mission but no changes were made to address the cause of the bipod foam loss.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=123}} After bipod foam loss on STS-32, NASA engineers, under the assumption that the foam loss was due to pressure buildup within the insulation, added vent holes to the foam to allow gas to escape. After a bipod foam strike damaged the TPS on STS-50, internal NASA investigations concluded it was an "accepted flight risk" and that it should not be treated as a flight safety issue. Bipod foam loss occurred on STS-52 and STS-62, but neither event was noticed until the investigation following Columbia's destruction.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=124}}

During STS-112, which flew in October 2002, a {{convert|4|by|5|by|12|in|cm|adj=on}} chunk of bipod ramp foam broke away from the ET bipod ramp and hit the SRB-ET attachment ring near the bottom of the left SRB, creating a dent {{convert|4|in|cm|sigfig=1}} wide and {{convert|3|in|cm|sigfig=1}} deep.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=124}} Following the mission, the Program Requirements Control Board declined to categorize the bipod ramp foam loss as an in-flight anomaly. The foam loss was briefed at the STS-113 Flight Readiness Brief, but the Program Requirements Control Board decided that the ET was safe to fly.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=125}}

A debris strike from the ablative material on the right SRB caused significant damage to{{OV|104|full=no}} during the STS-27 launch on December 2, 1988. On the second day of the flight the crew inspected the damage using a camera on the remote manipulator system. The debris strike had removed a tile; the exposed orbiter skin was a reinforced section, and a burn-through might have occurred had the damage been in a different location. After the mission, the NASA Program Requirements Control Board designated the issue as an in-flight anomaly that was corrected with the planned improvement for the SRB ablator.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=127}}

{{Main|STS-107}}

File:Crew of STS-107, official photo.jpg. From left to right: Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool, Ramon.]]

For STS-107, Columbia carried the SpaceHab Research Double Module, the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment, and an Extended Duration Orbiter pallet.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|30}} The mission passed its pre-launch certifications and reviews, and began with the launch. The mission was originally scheduled to launch on January 11, 2001, but it was delayed thirteen times, until its launch on January 16, 2003.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=28}}

The seven-member crew of STS-107 were selected in July 2000.{{Reference page|28}} The mission was commanded by Rick Husband, who was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a test pilot. He had previously flown on STS-96.{{cite web

| title = Rick Douglas Husband

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/ASTRON~2.HTM

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = August 11, 2020

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200811105612/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/ASTRON~2.HTM

| url-status = live

}} The mission's pilot was William McCool, a U.S. Navy commander who was on his first spaceflight.{{cite web

| title = William C. McCool

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/McCool%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = July 14, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190714115417/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/McCool%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm

| url-status = live

}} The payload commander was Michael Anderson, a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who had previously flown on STS-89.{{cite web

| title = Michael P. Anderson

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/anderson_biodata.htm

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = July 14, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190714115417/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/anderson_biodata.htm

| url-status = live

}} Kalpana Chawla served as the flight engineer; she had previously flown on STS-87.{{cite web

| title = Kalpana Chawla

| publisher = NASA

| date = May 2004

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/chawla_kalpana.pdf

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = December 29, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211229163209/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/chawla_kalpana.pdf

| url-status = live

}} David Brown and Laurel Clark, both Navy captains, flew as the mission specialists on their first spaceflights.{{cite web

| title = David M. Brown

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/Brown%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = July 14, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190714115418/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/Brown%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| title = Laurel Blair Salton Clark

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/Clark%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = July 14, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190714115418/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/Clark%20Astronaut%20Bio%20Data.htm

| url-status = live

}} Ilan Ramon, a colonel in the Israeli Air Force and the first Israeli astronaut, flew as a payload specialist on his first spaceflight.{{cite web

| title = Ilan Ramon

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/PAYLOA~1.HTM

| access-date = January 25, 2022

| archive-date = July 14, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190714115418/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/PAYLOA%7E1.HTM

| url-status = live

}}{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=29}}

File:STS107Launch NASA.gif

Columbia was launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at 10:39:00{{spaces}}am. At T+81.7{{spaces}}seconds, a piece of foam approximately {{convert|21|to|27|in|cm|sigfig=2}} long and {{convert|12|to|18|in|cm|sigfig=2}} wide broke off from the left bipod on the ET. At T+81.9{{spaces}}seconds, the foam struck the reinforced carbon–carbon (RCC) panels on Columbia{{'}}s left wing at relative velocity of {{convert|625|to|840|ft/s|mph km/h|sigfig=3}}.{{r|caib_report|p=34}} The foam's low ballistic coefficient caused it to lose speed immediately after separating from the ET, and the orbiter ran into the slower foam.{{r|caib_report|p=60}} Neither the mission nor ground crew noticed the debris strike at the time.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=140}} The SRBs separated from the ET at T+2{{spaces}}minutes and 7{{spaces}}seconds, followed by the ET's separation from the orbiter at T+8{{spaces}}minutes 30{{spaces}}seconds.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=35}} The ET separation was photographed by Anderson and recorded by Brown, but they did not record the bipod with missing foam.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=148}} At T+43{{spaces}}minutes, Columbia completed its orbital insertion as planned.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=35}}

File:Space Shuttle Columbia disaster ET208 camera.gif

After Columbia entered orbit, the NASA Intercenter Photo Working Group conducted a routine review of videos of the launch. The group's analysts did not notice the debris strike until the second day of the mission. None of the cameras that recorded the launch had a clear view of the debris striking the wing, leaving the group unable to determine the level of damage sustained by the orbiter. The group's chair contacted Wayne Hale, the Shuttle Program Manager for Launch Integration, to request on-orbit pictures of Columbia{{'}}s wing to assess its damage. After receiving notification of the debris strike, engineers at NASA, United Space Alliance, and Boeing created the Debris Assessment Team and began working to determine the damage to the orbiter.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=140, 143}} Intercenter Photo Working Group believed that the orbiter's RCC tiles were possibly damaged; NASA program managers were less concerned over the danger caused by the debris strike.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=141}}

Boeing analysts attempted to model the damage caused to the orbiter's TPS from the foam strike. The software models predicted damage that was deeper than the thickness of the TPS tiles, indicating that the orbiter's aluminum skin would be unprotected in that area. The Debris Assessment Team dismissed this conclusion as inaccurate, because of previous instances of predictions of damage greater than the actual damage. Further modeling specific to the RCC panels used software calibrated to predict damage caused by falling ice. The software predicted only one of 15 scenarios that ice would cause damage, leading the Debris Assessment Team to conclude there was minimal damage due to the lower density of foam to ice.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=143–145}}

File:STS-107 crew in orbit.jpg

To assess the possible damage to Columbia{{'}}s wing, members of the Debris Assessment Team made multiple requests to get imagery of the orbiter from the Department of Defense (DoD). Imagery requests were channeled through both the DoD Manned Space Flight Support Office and the Johnson Space Center Engineering Directorate.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=150–151}} Hale coordinated the request through a DoD representative at KSC. The request was relayed to the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which began identifying imaging assets that could observe the orbiter. The imagery request was soon rescinded by NASA Mission Management Team Chair Linda Ham after she investigated the origin of it. She had consulted with Flight Director Phil Engelauf and members of the Mission Management Team, who stated that they did not have a requirement for imagery of Columbia. Ham did not consult with the Debris Assessment Team, and cancelled the imagery request on the basis that it had not been made through official channels.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=152–153}} Maneuvering the orbiter to allow its left wing to be imaged would have interrupted ongoing science operations, and Ham dismissed the DoD imaging capabilities as insufficient to assess damage to the orbiter.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=153–154}} Following the rejection of their imagery request, the Debris Assessment Team did not make further requests for the orbiter to be imaged.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=157}}

Throughout the flight, members of the Mission Management Team were less concerned than the Debris Assessment Team about the potential risk of a debris strike. The loss of bipod foam on STS-107 was compared to previous foam strike events, none of which caused the loss of an orbiter or crew. Ham, scheduled to work as an integration manager for STS-114, was concerned with the potential delays from a foam loss event.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|pages=147–148}} Mission management also downplayed the risk of the debris strike in communications with the crew.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|161}} On January 23, flight director Steve Stich sent an e-mail to Husband and McCool to tell them about the foam strike and inform them there was no cause for concern about damage to the TPS, as foam strikes had occurred on previous flights.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=159}}

{{blockquote|During ascent at approximately 80 seconds, photo analysis shows that some debris from the area of the -Y ET Bipod Attach Point came loose and subsequently impacted the orbiter left wing, in the area of transition from Chine to Main Wing, creating a shower of smaller particles. The impact appears to be totally on the lower surface and no particles are seen to traverse over the upper surface of the wing. Experts have reviewed the high speed photography and there is no concern for RCC or tile damage. We have seen this same phenomenon on several other flights and there is absolutely no concern for entry.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=159}}}}

File:STS-107, final moments in cabin (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster).webm

The crew were also sent a fifteen-second video of the debris strike in preparation for a press conference, but were reassured that there were no safety concerns.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=161}}

On January 26, the Debris Assessment Team concluded that there were no safety concerns from the debris strike. The team's report was critical of the Mission Management Team for asserting that there were no safety concerns before the Debris Assessment Team's investigation had been completed.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=164}} On January 29, William Readdy, the Associate Administrator for Space Flight, agreed to DoD imaging of the orbiter, but on the condition that it would not interfere with flight operations; ultimately, the orbiter was not imaged by the DoD during the flight. At a Mission Management Team on January 31, the day before Columbia reentered the atmosphere, the Launch Integration Office voiced Ham's intention to review on-board footage to view the missing foam, but concerns of crew safety were not discussed.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=166}}

Columbia was scheduled to reenter the atmosphere and land on February 1, 2003. At 3:30{{spaces}}am EST the Entry Flight Control Team started its shift at the Mission Control Center.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=38}} On board the orbiter, the crew stowed loose items and prepared their equipment for reentry.{{cite web

| title = Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report

| publisher = NASA

| date = 2008

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/298870main_SP-2008-565.pdf

| id = SP-2008-565

| access-date = February 11, 2022

| archive-date = July 25, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210725011744/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/298870main_SP-2008-565.pdf

| url-status = live

}}{{Reference page|page=1.5}}

At 45 minutes before the deorbit burn, Husband and McCool began working through the entry checklist.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.6}} At 8:10{{spaces}}am the Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM), Charlie Hobaugh,{{cite web

| last = Hotz

| first = Robert Lee

| title = Decoding Columbia: A detective story

| work = The Los Angeles Times

| date = January 31, 2013

| url = https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-sci-shuttle21dec21-1-story.html

| accessdate = July 24, 2023

| archive-date = June 4, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230604152132/https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-sci-shuttle21dec21-1-story.html

| url-status = live

}} informed the crew that they were approved to conduct the deorbit burn. At 8:15:30{{spaces}}the crew successfully executed the deorbit burn, which lasted 2{{spaces}}minutes and 38{{spaces}}seconds. At 8:44:09{{spaces}}Columbia reentered the atmosphere at an altitude of {{convert|400000|ft|km}}, a point named entry interface. The damage to the TPS on the orbiter's left wing allowed hot air to enter and begin melting the aluminum structure.{{r|caib_report|p=9}} Four and a half minutes after entry interface, a sensor began recording greater-than-normal amounts of strain on the left wing; the sensor's data was recorded to internal storage and not transmitted to the crew or ground controllers.{{r|caib_report|p=38}} The orbiter began to turn (yaw) to the left as a result of the increased drag on the left wing, but this was not noticed by the crew or mission control because of corrections from the orbiter's flight control system.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.8}} This was followed by sensors in the left wheel well reporting a rise in temperature.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.10}}

File:STS-107 Columbia entry imaged from ground.jpg at Kirtland Air Force Base.|alt=Fuzzy black-and-white photo of the orbiter during reentry]]

At 8:53:46 am, Columbia crossed over the California coast; it was traveling at Mach{{spaces}}23 at an altitude of {{convert|231600|ft|km}}, and the temperature of its wings' leading edges was estimated to be {{convert|2800|F|C}}.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=38}} Soon after it entered California airspace, the orbiter shed several pieces of debris, events observed on the ground as sudden increases in brightness of the air around the orbiter. The MMACS officer reported that the hydraulic sensors in the left wing had readings below the sensors' minimum detection thresholds at 8:54:24{{spaces}}am. Columbia continued its reentry and traveled over Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, where observers would report seeing signs of debris being shed.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=39}}

At 8:58:03, the orbiter's aileron trim changed from the predicted values because of the increasing drag caused by the damage to the left wing. At 8:58:21, the orbiter shed a TPS tile that would later land in Littlefield, Texas; it would become the westernmost piece of recovered debris.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.12}} The crew first received an indication of a problem at 8:58:39, when the Backup Flight Software monitor began displaying fault messages for a loss of pressure in the tires of the left landing gear. The pilot and commander then received indications that the status of the left landing gear was unknown, as different sensors reported the gear was down and locked or in the stowed position.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.13}} The drag of the left wing continued to yaw the orbiter to the left until it could no longer be corrected using aileron trim. The orbiter's Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters began firing continuously to correct its orientation.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.14}}

The loss of signal (LOS) from Columbia occurred at 8:59:32. Mission control stopped receiving information from the orbiter at this time, and Husband's last radio call of "Roger, uh{{spaces}}..." was cut off mid-transmission.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=39}}{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.14}} One of the channels in the flight control system was bypassed as the result of a failed wire, and a Master Alarm began sounding on the flight deck.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.15}} Loss of control of the orbiter is estimated to have begun several seconds later with a loss of hydraulic pressure and an uncontrolled pitch-up maneuver.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.16}} The orbiter began flying along a ballistic trajectory, which was significantly steeper and had more drag than the previous gliding trajectory.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.17}} The orbiter, while still traveling faster than Mach 15, entered into a flat spin of 30° to 40° per second. The acceleration that the crew was experiencing increased from approximately 0.8 g to 3{{spaces}}g, which would have likely caused dizziness and disorientation, but not incapacitation.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.18}} The autopilot was switched to manual control and reset to automatic mode at 9:00:03; this would have required the input of either Husband or McCool, indicating that they were still conscious and able to perform functions at the time. All hydraulic pressure was lost, and McCool's final switch configurations indicate that he had tried to restore the hydraulic systems at some time after 9:00:05.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.20}}

File:ColumbiaFLIR2003.gif (FLIR) camera mounted on an Apache helicopter conducting training in Fort Hood, Texas.{{Cite news |last=Cenciotti |first=David |date=February 1, 2014 |title=Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster as seen through AH-64 Apache camera |work=The Aviationist |url=https://theaviationist.com/2014/02/01/sts-107-disaster-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331125749/https://theaviationist.com/2014/02/01/sts-107-disaster-video/ |archive-date=March 31, 2023 }}]]

At 9:00:18, the orbiter began a catastrophic breakup, and all on-board data recording soon ceased.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.20}} Ground observers noted a sudden increase in debris being shed, and all on-board systems lost power. By 9:00:25, the orbiter's fore and aft sections had separated from one another.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.21}} The sudden jerk caused the crew compartment to collide with the interior wall of the fuselage, resulting in the start of depressurization of the crew compartment by 9:00:35.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.22}} The pieces of the orbiter continued to break apart into smaller pieces, and within a minute after breakup were too small to be detected by ground-based videos. A NASA report estimates that by 9:35, all crew remains and a majority of debris had hit the ground.{{r|survival_report}}{{Reference page|page=1.77}}

The loss of signal occurred at a time when the Flight Control Team expected brief communication outages as the orbiter stopped communication via the west tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS). Personnel in Mission Control were unaware of the in-flight break-up, and continued to try to reestablish contact with the orbiter.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=43}} At around 9:12:39, when Columbia would have been conducting its final maneuvers to land, a Mission Control member received a phone call concerning news coverage of the orbiter breaking up. This information was immediately passed on to the Entry Flight Director, LeRoy Cain, who initiated contingency procedures.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=44}} At KSC, where Columbia had been expected to land at 9:16, NASA Associate Administrator and former astronaut William Readdy also began contingency procedures after the orbiter did not land as scheduled.{{r|columbia_home|p=5}}

During reentry, all seven of the STS-107 crew members were killed, but the exact time of their deaths could not be determined. The level of acceleration that they experienced during crew module breakup was not lethal.{{r|caib_report}}{{Reference page|page=77}} The first lethal event the crew experienced was the depressurization of the crew module. The rate and exact time of complete depressurization could not be determined, but it occurred no later than 9:00:59 and was likely much earlier. The remains of the crew members indicated they all experienced depressurization. The astronauts' helmets have a visor that, when closed, can temporarily protect the crew member from depressurization. None of the crew members had closed their visors, one was not wearing a helmet, and three were not wearing their pressure suit gloves; this would indicate that depressurization occurred quickly before they could take protective measures. They were rendered unconscious or deceased within seconds and tissue damage was extensive enough that they could not have regained consciousness even if the cabin had regained pressurization.{{r|survival_report|p=1.24}}{{cite book|last1=Stepaniak|first1=Philip C.|url=https://www.asma.org/asma/media/asma/Travel-Publications/NASA%20Shuttle/SP-2014-616.pdf|title=Loss of Signal: Aeromedical Lessons Learned from the STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle Mishap|last2=Lane|first2=Helen W.|last3=Davis|first3=Jeffrey R.|date=May 2014|publisher=NASA|location=Washington, DC|access-date=March 10, 2022|archive-date=March 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303191229/http://www.asma.org/asma/media/asma/Travel-Publications/NASA%20Shuttle/SP-2014-616.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Reference page|pages=89,103}}

During and after the breakup of the crew module, the crew, either unconscious or dead, experienced rotation on all three axes. The astronauts' shoulder harnesses were unable to prevent trauma to their upper bodies, as the inertia reel system failed to retract sufficiently to secure them, leaving them only restrained by their lap belts. The helmets were not conformal to the crew members' heads, allowing head injuries to occur inside of the helmet. The neck ring of the helmet may have also acted as a fulcrum that caused spine and neck injuries. The physical trauma to the astronauts, who could not brace to prevent such injuries, also could have resulted in their deaths.{{r|survival_report|p=1.25}}{{r|lossofsignal|pp=103–105}}

The astronauts also likely suffered from significant thermal trauma. Hot gas entered the disintegrating crew module, burning the crew members, whose bodies were still somewhat protected by their ACES suits. Once the crew module fell apart, the astronauts were violently exposed to windblast and a possible shock wave, which stripped their suits from their bodies. The crews' remains were exposed to hot gas and molten metal as they fell away from the orbiter.{{r|lossofsignal|pp=106–108}}

After separation from the crew module, the bodies of the crew members entered an environment with almost no oxygen, very low atmospheric pressure, and both high temperatures caused by deceleration, and extremely low ambient temperatures.{{r|lossofsignal|p=93}} Their bodies hit the ground with lethal force.{{r|survival_report|p=1.29}}

File:George W Bush Columbia FINAL.ogg

At 14:04 EST (19:04 UTC), President George W. Bush said in a televised address to the nation, "My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news, and great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors."{{cite web |author=Bush |first=George W. |author-link=George W. Bush |date=February 1, 2003 |title=President Addresses Nation on Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030201-2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140211125535/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030201-2.html |archive-date=February 11, 2014 |access-date=May 10, 2022 |publisher=The White House }}

File:Grid with Columbia's Debris - GPN-2003-00081.jpg

File:Columbia's Main Engine Powerheads - GPN-2003-00076.jpg

After the orbiter broke up, reports came in to eastern Texas law enforcement agencies of an explosion and falling debris.{{cite book |last1=Leinbach |first1=Michael D. |author-link=Michael D. Leinbach |title=Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and her Crew |last2=Ward |first2=Jonathan H. |date=2018 |publisher=Arcade Publishing |isbn=978-1628728514 |location=New York}}{{Reference page|page=59}} Astronauts Mark Kelly and Gregory Johnson traveled on a US Coast Guard helicopter from Houston to Nacogdoches,{{r|columbia_home|page=61}} and Jim Wetherbee drove a team of astronauts to Lufkin to assist with recovery efforts.{{r|columbia_home|page=61}} Debris was reported from east Texas through southern Louisiana.{{r|columbia_home|page=96}} Recovery crews and local volunteers worked to locate and identify debris.{{r|columbia_home|page=93}}

On the first day of the disaster, searchers began finding remains of the astronauts.{{r|columbia_home|page=98}} Within three days of the crash, some remains from every crew member had been recovered.{{r|columbia_home|page=117}} These recoveries occurred along a line south of Hemphill, Texas, and west of the Toledo Bend Reservoir.{{r|columbia_home|page=123}} The final body of a crew member was recovered on February 11.{{r|columbia_home|page=131}} The crew remains were transported to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Dover Air Force Base.{{r|columbia_home|page=117}}

Immediately after the disaster, the Texas Army National Guard deployed 300 members to assist with security and recovery, and the Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team was assigned to help recover hazardous debris.{{r|columbia_home|page=104}} Over the following days, the search grew to include hundreds of individuals from the Environmental Protection Agency, US Forest Service, Civil Air Patrol, and Texas and Louisiana public safety organizations, as well as local volunteers.{{r|columbia_home|page=119}} In the months after the disaster, the largest-ever organized ground search took place.{{cite web |url=http://researchernews.larc.nasa.gov/archives/2003/050903/Search.html |title=In Search Of ...|publisher=NASA|date=2003|last=Roberts|first=Jim |access-date=February 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320232815/http://researchernews.larc.nasa.gov/archives/2003/050903/Search.html |archive-date=March 20, 2009}} NASA officials warned of the dangers of handling debris, as it could have been contaminated by propellants.{{r|lossofsignal|page=145}}{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1420965/Searchers-stumble-on-human-remains.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Toby | last=Harnden | title=Searchers stumble on human remains | date=February 3, 2003 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911233245/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1420965/Searchers-stumble-on-human-remains.html | archive-date=September 11, 2017 | df=mdy-all | access-date=July 27, 2022}}

Soon after the accident, some individuals attempted to sell Columbia debris on the internet, including on the online auction website eBay. Officials at NASA were critical of these efforts, as the debris was NASA property and was needed for the investigation.{{cite news| title=Shuttle debris offered online| work=BBC News| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2720225.stm| date=February 3, 2003| access-date=July 27, 2022| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923052013/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2720225.stm| archive-date=September 23, 2006| df=mdy-all}} A three-day amnesty period was offered for recovered orbiter debris.{{cite news

| title = Amnesty Ending For Shuttle Debris Looters

| work = WAFB

| date = February 10, 2003

| url = https://www.wafb.com/story/1121247/amnesty-ending-for-shuttle-debris-looters/

| accessdate = July 27, 2022

| archive-date = July 27, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220727191524/https://www.wafb.com/story/1121247/amnesty-ending-for-shuttle-debris-looters/

| url-status = live

}} During this time, about 20 individuals contacted NASA to return debris, which included debris from the Challenger disaster.{{r|lossofsignal|pages=118–119}}{{r|columbia_home|page=156}} After the end of the amnesty period, several individuals were arrested for illegal looting and possession of debris.{{cite news |last=McKie |first=Robin |date=February 9, 2003 |title=Shuttle looters arrested as search goes on |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/feb/09/spaceexploration.columbia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730134153/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/feb/09/spaceexploration.columbia |archive-date=July 30, 2021 |accessdate=July 27, 2022 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}

Columbia{{'}}s flight data recorder was found near Hemphill, Texas, {{convert|75|mi|km}} southeast of Nacogdoches, on March 19, 2003.{{cite news

| title = Shuttle's data recorder found intact

| work = CNN

| date = March 20, 2003

| url = https://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/03/19/sprj.colu.data.box/

| accessdate = July 25, 2022

| archive-date = January 16, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220116185318/http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/03/19/sprj.colu.data.box/

| url-status = live

}} Columbia was the first orbiter, and it had a unique flight data OEX (Orbiter EXperiments) recorder to record vehicle performance data during the test flights. The recorder was left in Columbia after the initial Shuttle test-flights were completed, and began recording information 15 minutes prior to reentry. The tape it recorded to was broken at the time of the crash, but information from the orbiter's sensors could have been recorded beforehand.{{r|columbia_home|pages=187–189}}{{cite news|url=http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/030319recorder/|access-date=February 1, 2013|work=Spaceflight Now|title=Data recorder recovered; could hold key insights|date=March 19, 2003|last=Harwood|first=William|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203121644/http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/030319recorder/|archive-date=February 3, 2013}} Several days later, the tape was sent to the Imation Corporation for it to be inspected and cleaned. On March 25, the OEX's tape was sent to KSC, where it was copied and analyzed.{{r|columbia_home|page=190}}

On March 27, a Bell 407 helicopter that was being used in the debris search crashed due to mechanical failure in the Angelina National Forest. The crash killed the pilot, Jules F. Mier Jr., and a Texas Forest Service aviation specialist, Charles Krenek, and injured three other crew members.{{r|caib_report|page=46}}{{cite news |date=March 29, 2003 |title=Helicopters Are Grounded After Crash in Debris Hunt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/29/us/helicopters-are-grounded-after-crash-in-debris-hunt.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109043410/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/29/us/helicopters-are-grounded-after-crash-in-debris-hunt.html |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |accessdate=July 25, 2022 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |agency=Associated Press}}

A group of Caenorhabditis elegans worms, enclosed in aluminum canisters, survived reentry and impact with the ground and were recovered weeks after the disaster.{{cite news| title=Worms survived Columbia disaster| work=BBC News| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2992123.stm| date=May 1, 2003| access-date=July 25, 2022| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051106233827/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2992123.stm| archive-date=November 6, 2005| df=mdy-all}} The culture, which was part of an experiment to research their growth while consuming synthetic nutrients, was found to be alive on April 28, 2003.{{cite web

| last = Hammond

| first = Ruth

| title = Worms Survive Shuttle Disaster

| publisher = Carnegie Mellon University

| date = 2003

| url = https://www.cmu.edu/magazine/03fall/wormsurvive.html

| accessdate = July 25, 2022

| archive-date = November 16, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211116220655/https://www.cmu.edu/magazine/03fall/wormsurvive.html

| url-status = live

}}

NASA management selected the Reusable Launch Vehicle hangar at KSC to reconstruct recovered Columbia debris. NASA Launch Director Michael Leinbach led the reconstruction team, which was staffed by Columbia engineers and technicians. Debris was laid out on the floor of the hangar in the shape of the orbiter to allow investigators to look for patterns in the damage that indicated the cause of the disaster.{{r|columbia_home|page=206–207}} Astronaut Pamela Melroy was assigned to oversee the six-person team reconstructing the crew compartment, which included fellow astronaut Marsha Ivins.{{r|columbia_home|pages=210–211}}

Recovered debris was shipped from the field to KSC, where it was unloaded and checked to see if it was contaminated by toxic hypergolic propellants. Each piece of debris had an identifying number and a tag indicating the coordinates where it was found. Staff attached photographs and catalogued each piece of debris.{{r|columbia_home|page=217}} Recovered debris from inside the orbiter was placed in a separate area, as it was not considered to be a contributor to the accident.{{r|columbia_home|page=209–210}} NASA conducted a fault tree analysis to determine the probable causes of the accident, and focused its investigations on the parts of the orbiter most likely to have been responsible for the in-flight breakup.{{r|columbia_home|page=215}} Engineers in the hangar analyzed the debris to determine how the orbiter came apart. Even though the crew compartment was not considered as a likely cause of the accident, Melroy successfully argued for its analysis to learn more about how its safety systems helped, or failed to help, the crew survive.{{r|columbia_home|pages=224–225}} The tiles on the left wing were studied to determine the nature of the burning and melting that occurred. The damage to the debris indicated that the breach began at the wing's leading edge, allowing hot gas to get past the orbiter's thermal protection system.{{r|columbia_home|page=232}}

The search for Columbia debris ended in May.{{r|columbia_home|page=203}} Approximately 83,900 pieces of debris were recovered, weighing {{convert|84900|lbs|kg}}, which was about 38 percent of the orbiter's overall weight. When the CAIB report was released, about 40,000 recovered pieces of debris had not been identified.{{cite web | last1=Barry | first1=J. R. | last2=Jenkins | first2=D. R. | last3=White | first3=D. J. | last4=Goodman | first4=P. A. | last5=Reingold | first5=L. A. | last6=Simon | first6=A. H. | last7=Kirchhoff | first7=C. M. | title=Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report. Volume Two. | website=NTIS | date=February 1, 2003 | url=https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2004100867.xhtml | access-date=July 25, 2022 | archive-date=January 31, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131172241/https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2004100867.xhtml | url-status=live }}{{rp|1}} All recovered non-human Columbia debris was stored in unused office space at the Vehicle Assembly Building, except for parts of the crew compartment, which were kept separate.{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-31-na-remains31-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | title=Shuttle Columbia's Debris on View at NASA Facility | date=January 31, 2004 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216112848/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-31-na-remains31-story.html| archive-date=December 16, 2022|access-date=December 16, 2022 | df=mdy-all }} By the end of reconstruction efforts only 720 items remained classified as unknown.{{r|columbia_home|page=218}}

In July 2011, lower water levels caused by a drought revealed a {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=mid|-diameter|spell=in||}} piece of debris in Lake Nacogdoches. NASA identified the piece as a power reactant storage and distribution tank.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/02/texas.shuttle.debris/index.html |title=Space shuttle Columbia part found in East Texas |work=CNN|date=August 2, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802170346/http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/02/texas.shuttle.debris/index.html |archive-date=August 2, 2011}}

File:STS107 Columbia FoamStrike Test NASA SWRI NGRC.gif's wing's leading edge made with an RCC-panel taken from {{OV|Atlantis|full=no}}. Simulation of known and possible conditions of the foam impact on {{OV|Columbia|full=no}}'s final launch showed brittle fracture of RCC.]]

{{Main|Columbia Accident Investigation Board|l1=Columbia Accident Investigation Board}}

About ninety minutes after the disaster, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe called to convene the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) to determine the cause.{{r|caib_report|page=231}}{{cite web

| last = O'Keefe

| first = Sean

| authorlink = Sean O'Keefe

| title = Board Charter

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 18, 2003

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/CAIB/CAIB%20Website/caib_charter.html

| accessdate = August 15, 2022

| archive-date = March 15, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220315083008/https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/CAIB/CAIB%20Website/caib_charter.html

| url-status = live

}} It was chaired by retired U.S. Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr. and included military and civilian analysts. It initially consisted of eight members, including Gehman, but expanded to 13 members by March. The CAIB members were notified by noon on the day of the accident, and participated in a teleconference that evening. The following day, they traveled to Barksdale AFB to begin the investigation. The CAIB members first toured the debris fields, and then established their operations at JSC. The CAIB established four teams to investigate NASA management and program safety, NASA training and crew operations, the technical aspects of the disaster, and how NASA culture affected the Space Shuttle program. These groups collaborated, and hired other support staff to investigate.{{r|caib_report|pages=231–232}} The CAIB worked alongside the reconstruction efforts to determine the cause of the accident, and interviewed members of the Space Shuttle program, including those who had been involved with STS-107.{{r|caib_report|pp=234–235}} The CAIB conducted public hearings from March until June,{{r|caib_report|pp=237–238}} and released its final report in August 2003.{{r|caib_report|p=2}}

After looking at sensor data, the CAIB considered damage to the left wing as a likely culprit for Columbia{{'}}s destruction. It investigated that recovered debris and noted the difference in heat damage between the two wings. RCC panels from the left wing were found in the western portion of the debris field, indicating that it was shed first before the rest of the orbiter disintegrated.{{r|caib_report|pp=73–74}} X-ray and chemical analysis was conducted on the RCC panels, revealing the highest levels of slag deposits to be in the left wing tiles.{{r|caib_report|pp=75–76}} Impact testing was conducted at the Southwest Research Institute, using a nitrogen-powered gun to fire a projectile made of the same material as the ET bipod foam. Panels taken from {{OV|Enterprise|full=no}}, {{OV|Discovery|full=no}}, and {{OV|Atlantis|full=no}} were used to determine the projectiles' effect on RCC panels.{{r|caib_report|pp=79–80}} A test on RCC panel{{spaces}}8, taken from Atlantis, was the most consistent with the damage observed on Columbia, indicating it was the damaged panel that led to the in-flight breakup.{{r|caib_report|pp=82–83}}

The CAIB was critical of NASA organizational culture, and compared its current state to that of NASA leading up to the Challenger disaster.{{r|caib_report|p=99}} It concluded that NASA was experiencing budget constraints while still expecting to keep a high level of launches and operations.{{r|caib_report|p=100}} Program operating costs were lowered by 21% from 1991 to 1994,{{r|caib_report|p=107}} despite a planned increase in the yearly flight rate for assembly of the International Space Station.{{r|caib_report|p=114}} Despite a history of foam strike events, NASA management did not consider the potential risk to the astronauts as a safety-of-flight issue.{{r|caib_report|p=126}} The CAIB found that a lack of a safety program led to the lack of concern over foam strikes.{{r|caib_report|p=177}} The board determined that NASA lacked the appropriate communication and integration channels to allow problems to be discussed and effectively routed and addressed.{{r|caib_report|p=187}} This risk was further compounded by pressure to adhere to a launch schedule for construction of the ISS.{{r|caib_report|p=198}}

In its report, the CAIB discussed potential options that could have saved Columbia{{'}}s crew.{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/the-audacious-rescue-plan-that-might-have-saved-space-shuttle-columbia/|title=The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia|website=Ars Technica|date=February 1, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929012837/http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/the-audacious-rescue-plan-that-might-have-saved-space-shuttle-columbia/|archive-date=September 29, 2016}} They determined that the mission could have been extended to at most 30 days (February 15), after which the lithium hydroxide canisters used to remove carbon dioxide would have run out.{{r|caib_report|p=173}} On STS-107, Columbia was carrying the Extended Duration Orbiter, which increased its supply of oxygen and hydrogen.{{cite web

| last1 = Gehman

| first1 = Harold

| author-link1 = Harold W. Gehman Jr.

| last2 = Barry

| first2 = John

| last3 = Deal

| first3 = Duane

| last4 = Hallock

| first4 = James

| author-link4 = James N. Hallock

| last5 = Hess

| first5 = Kenneth

| last6 = Hubbard

| first6 = G. Scott

| author-link6 = G. Scott Hubbard

| last7 = Logsdon

| first7 = John

| author-link7 = John Logsdon

| last8 = Logsdon

| first8 = John

| author-link8 = Douglas D. Osheroff

| last9 = Ride

| first9 = Sally

| author-link9 = Sally Ride

| last10 = Tetrault

| first10 = Roger

| last11 = Turcotte

| first11 = Stephen

| author-link11 = Stephen A. Turcotte

| last12 = Wallace

| first12 = Steven

| last13 = Widnall

| first13 = Sheila

| author-link13 = Sheila E. Widnall

| title = STS-107 In-Flight Options Assessment

| publisher = CAIB Report, Volume II, Appendix D.13

| date = 2003

| url = https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/caib/news/report/pdf/vol2/part13.pdf

| access-date = August 15, 2022

| archive-date = September 21, 2012

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120921163712/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/caib/news/report/pdf/vol2/part13.pdf

| url-status = live

}}{{rp|398}} To maximize the mission duration, non-essential systems would have been powered down,{{r|CAIBVolIIAppendixD12|page=399}} and animals in the Spacehab module would have been euthanized.{{r|CAIBVolIIAppendixD12|page=397}}

When STS-107 launched, Atlantis was undergoing preparation for the STS-114 launch on March 1, 2003. Had NASA management decided to launch a rescue mission, an expedited process could have begun to launch it as a rescue vehicle. Some pre-launch tests would have been eliminated to allow it to launch on time. Atlantis would have launched with additional equipment for EVAs, and launched with a minimum required crew. It would have rendezvoused with Columbia, and the STS-107 crew would have conducted EVAs to transfer to Atlantis. Columbia would have been remotely deorbited; as Mission Control would have been unable to remotely land it, it would have been disposed of in the Pacific Ocean.{{r|CAIBVolIIAppendixD12|pages=400–404}}

The CAIB also investigated the possibility of on-orbit repair of the left wing. Although there were no materials or adhesives onboard Columbia that could have survived reentry, the board researched the effectiveness of stuffing materials from the orbiter, crew cabin, or water into the RCC hole. They determined that the best option would have been to harvest tiles from other places on the orbiter, shape them, and then stuff them into the RCC hole. Given the difficulty of on-orbit repair and the risk of further damaging the RCC tiles, the CAIB determined that the likelihood of a successful on-orbit repair would have been low.{{r|CAIBVolIIAppendixD12|pages=405–406}}

The Space Shuttle program was suspended after the loss of Columbia.{{cite news |work=Space |url=http://www.space.com/19436-columbia-disaster.html |title=Columbia Disaster: What Happened, What NASA Learned |last1=Howell|first1=Elizabeth|last2=Dobrijevic|first2=Daisy |access-date=August 19, 2022|date=October 11, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925054548/http://www.space.com/19436-columbia-disaster.html |archive-date=September 25, 2016}} The further construction of the International Space Station (ISS) was delayed, as the Space Shuttle had been scheduled for seven missions to the ISS in 2003 and 2004 to complete its construction.{{cite magazine

| last = Mowbray

| first = Scott

| title = After Columbia: The ISS in Crisis

| magazine = Popular Science

| date = March 17, 2003

| url = https://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2003-03/after-columbia-iss-crisis/

| accessdate = August 19, 2022

| archive-date = September 17, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210917081156/https://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2003-03/after-columbia-iss-crisis/

| url-status = live

}}

To prevent future foam strikes, the ET was redesigned to remove foam from the bipod. Instead, electric heaters were installed to prevent ice building up in the bipod due to the cold liquid oxygen in its feedlines.{{cite web

| last = Armstrong

| first = Dennis

| title = Shuttle in Shipshape

| publisher = NASA

| date = March 8, 2005

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/rtfupgrades_partI.html

| accessdate = August 19, 2022

| archive-date = March 3, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220303030431/https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/rtfupgrades_partI.html

| url-status = live

}} Additional heaters were also installed along the liquid oxygen line, which ran from the base of the tank to its interstage section.{{cite web

| last = Jensen

| first = Martin

| title = The Heat is On! New Heater Added to Space Shuttle's Fuel Tank

| publisher = NASA

| date = June 13, 2005

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/bellows_heater.html

| accessdate = August 19, 2022

| archive-date = June 18, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210618235210/https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/bellows_heater.html

| url-status = live

}} NASA also improved its ground imaging capabilities at Kennedy Space Center to better observe and monitor potential issues that occur during launch. The existing cameras at LC-39A, LC-39B, and along the coast were upgraded, and nine new camera sites were added. Cameras were added to the bellies of Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour (only Columbia and Challenger had them prior) to allow digital images of the ET to be viewed on the ground soon after launch. The prior system on Columbia used film and could only be downlinked after the orbiter returned to Earth.{{r|rtfupgrades_p1}} The Orbiter Boom Sensor System, a camera on the end of the Canadarm, was added to allow the crew to inspect the orbiter for any tile damage once they reached orbit.{{cite web

| last = Armstrong

| first = Dennis

| title = Shuttle in Shipshape: Part II

| publisher = NASA

| date = March 5, 2006

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/rtfupgrades_partII.html

| accessdate = August 19, 2022

| archive-date = March 24, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324232952/https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/system/rtfupgrades_partII.html

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| last = Heiney

| first = Anna

| title = Lending a Hand, an Arm ... and a Boom

| publisher = NASA

| date = January 28, 2005

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/missions/shuttle/journal_jan.html

| accessdate = August 19, 2022

| archive-date = April 15, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190415045500/https://www.nasa.gov/missions/shuttle/journal_jan.html

| url-status = live

}} Each of the orbiter's wings was equipped with 22 temperature sensors to detect any breaches during reentry and with 66 accelerometers to detect an impact. Post-landing inspection procedures were updated to include technicians examining the RCC panels using flash thermography.{{r|rtfupgrades_p2}}

As well as the updates to the orbiter, NASA prepared contingency plans in the event that a mission would be unable to safely land. The plan involved the stranded mission docking with the ISS, on which the crew would inspect and attempt to repair the damaged orbiter. If they were unsuccessful, they would remain aboard the ISS and wait for a rescue.{{r|rescue_book|p=81}} The rescue mission, designated STS-3xx, would be activated, and would use the next-in-line hardware for the orbiter, ET, and SRBs. The expected time to launch would be 35 days, as that was the requirement to prepare launch facilities.{{r|rescue_book|pp=89–91}} Before the arrival of the rescue mission, the stranded crew would power up the damaged orbiter, which would be remotely controlled as it was undocked and deorbited, and its debris would land in the Pacific Ocean.{{r|rescue_book|p=62}} The minimal crew would launch, dock with the ISS, and spend a day transferring astronauts and equipment before undocking and landing.{{cite web

| title = Contingency Shuttle Crew Support (CSCS)/Rescue Flight Resource Book

| publisher = NASA

| date = July 12, 2005

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/153444main_CSCS_Resource_%20Book.pdf

| id = JSC-62900

| accessdate = December 16, 2022

| archive-date = December 16, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221216112212/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/153444main_CSCS_Resource_%20Book.pdf

| url-status = live

}}{{Reference page|pages=89–91}}

{{Main|STS-114}}

File:STS-114-Debris-Animation.gif

The first Return to Flight mission, STS-114, began with the launch of Discovery on July 26, 2005, at 10:39{{spaces}}am (EDT).{{cite web

| last = Armstrong

| first = Dennis

| title = Launch and Landing

| publisher = NASA

| date = March 5, 2006

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/launch/index.html

| accessdate = August 20, 2022

| archive-date = July 26, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210726112125/https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/launch/index.html

| url-status = live

}} Sixteen pieces of foam from the ET were dislodged during the launch that were large enough to be considered significant by NASA investigators,{{cite web

| title = STS-114 External Tank Tiger Team Report

| publisher = NASA

| date = October 2005

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/136149main_ET_tiger_team_report.pdf

| accessdate = August 20, 2022

| archive-date = November 29, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211129144753/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/136149main_ET_tiger_team_report.pdf

| url-status = live

}}{{rp|7}} including one piece that was approximately {{convert|36|by|11|in|cm}}.{{r|sts114_tigerteam|p=18}} Post-launch investigations did not find any indications of damage from the foam loss, but ET video did reveal that a small piece of TPS tile from the nose landing gear fell off during launch.{{cite news

| last = Malik

| first = Tariq

| title = Multiple Pieces of Foam Fly in Shuttle Launch, Forcing Fleet Grounding

| work = Space

| date = July 27, 2005

| url = https://www.space.com/1357-multiple-pieces-foam-fly-shuttle-launch-forcing-fleet-grounding.html

| accessdate = August 20, 2022

| archive-date = May 21, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220521110617/https://www.space.com/1357-multiple-pieces-foam-fly-shuttle-launch-forcing-fleet-grounding.html

| url-status = live

}} Upon reaching orbit the crew inspected Discovery with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. On July 29 Discovery rendezvoused with the ISS and, before docking, performed the first rendezvous pitch maneuver to allow the crew aboard the ISS to observe and photograph the orbiter's belly.{{cite web

| last = Armstrong

| first = Dennis

| title = A Spectacular Test Flight

| publisher = NASA

| date = August 23, 2005

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/sts114mission.html

| accessdate = August 20, 2022

| archive-date = January 21, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220121170414/https://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/sts114mission.html

| url-status = live

}} The next day, astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Stephen Robinson performed the first of three spacewalks. They tested a tile repair tool, the Emittance Wash Applicator, on intentionally damaged TPS tiles that had been brought in the payload bay.{{cite book

| last1 = Ta

| first1 = Julie B.

| last2 = Treviño

| first2 = Robert C.

| title = Walking to Olympus An EVA Chronology, 1997–2011

| publisher = NASA

| year = 2016

| location = Washington, DC

| isbn = 978-1626830318

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/walking-to-olympus_tagged.pdf

| id = NASA SP-2016-4550

| accessdate = August 20, 2022

| archive-date = March 10, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220310114319/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/walking-to-olympus_tagged.pdf

| url-status = live

}}{{Reference page|page=62}} On August 3 the same astronauts performed the third EVA of the mission, during which Robinson stood on the ISS's Canadarm2 and went to Discovery{{'}}s belly to remove two gap fillers between tiles that had begun to protrude.{{r|olympus|p=63}}{{cite web

| title = Tile Gap Filler, Shuttle, STS-114

| publisher = National Air and Space Museum

| date = 2022

| url = https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/tile-gap-filler-shuttle-sts-114/nasm_A20060583000

| accessdate = August 20, 2022

| archive-date = August 21, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220821191123/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/tile-gap-filler-shuttle-sts-114/nasm_A20060583000

| url-status = live

}} After a delay due to bad weather at KSC, the decision was made to land at Edwards AFB. Discovery successfully landed at 8:11{{spaces}}am (EDT) on August 9.{{r|sts114_launch}}{{r|sts114_feature}} Had Discovery been unable to safely land, the crew would have remained on the ISS until Atlantis was flown to rescue them.{{cite news

| last = Watson

| first = Traci

| title = The mission NASA hopes won't happen

| work = USA Today

| date = March 22, 2005

| url = https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2005-03-22-shuttle-cover_x.htm

| accessdate = November 28, 2022

| archive-date = January 15, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230115201734/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2005-03-22-shuttle-cover_x.htm

| url-status = live

}} As a result of the foam loss, NASA grounded the Space Shuttle fleet again.{{r|learn}}{{r|malik_foam}}

{{Main|STS-121}}

To address the problem of foam loss for the second Return to Flight mission (STS-121), NASA engineers removed the foam ramp from the protuberance air load (PAL) on the ET, which was the source of the largest piece of debris on STS-114.{{cite news

| last = Malik

| first = Tariq

| title = NASA Nixes Foam Ramp for Next Space Shuttle Flight

| work = Space

| date = December 15, 2005

| url = https://www.space.com/1871-nasa-nixes-foam-ramp-space-shuttle-flight.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = March 24, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324002648/https://www.space.com/1871-nasa-nixes-foam-ramp-space-shuttle-flight.html

| url-status = live

}} The launch was postponed from its scheduled launch of July 1, 2006, and again on July 2 due to inclement weather at KSC.{{cite web

| last = Marconi

| first = Elaine M.

| title = Mission Accomplished!

| publisher = NASA

| date = July 26, 2006

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/multimedia/121-overview.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = June 8, 2017

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170608063436/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/multimedia/121-overview.html

| url-status = live

}} On July 3 a piece of foam approximately {{convert|3|by|.25|in|cm}} and weighing {{convert|0.0057|lbs|g}} broke off from the ET.{{cite news

| last = Malik

| first = Tariq

| title = Impact of Foam Crack On Shuttle Launch Still Uncertain

| work = Space

| date = July 3, 2006

| url = https://www.space.com/2581-impact-foam-crack-shuttle-launch-uncertain.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = January 23, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210123055116/https://www.space.com/2581-impact-foam-crack-shuttle-launch-uncertain.html

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| last = Ryba

| first = Jeanne

| title = Space Shuttle Discovery: ET Foam

| publisher = NASA

| date = July 3, 2006

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/multimedia/foam_gallery.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = June 28, 2017

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170628062748/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/multimedia/foam_gallery.html

| url-status = live

}} The mission still launched as scheduled at 2:38{{spaces}}pm (EDT) on July 4.{{cite web

| last = Wilson

| first = Jim

| title = Overview

| publisher = NASA

| date = November 24, 2007

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/launch/index.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = October 22, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211022193719/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts121/launch/index.html

| url-status = live

}} After reaching orbit, Discovery performed post-launch inspections of its TPS and docked with the ISS on July 6.{{r|sts121_mission_accomplished}} The orbiter carried a {{convert|28|ft|m}} remote control orbiter in-flight maintenance cable that could connect the flight deck systems to the avionics system in the mid-deck; it would allow the spacecraft to be landed remotely, to include controlling the landing gear and deploying the parachute.{{cite web

| last = Kestenbaum

| first = David

| title = Emergency Rescue Plans in Place for Astronauts

| publisher = NPR

| date = June 29, 2006

| url = https://www.npr.org/2006/06/29/5521668/emergency-rescue-plans-in-place-for-astronauts

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = August 21, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220821191123/https://www.npr.org/2006/06/29/5521668/emergency-rescue-plans-in-place-for-astronauts

| url-status = live

}}{{cite news

| last = Malik

| first = Tariq

| title = Shuttle to Carry Tools for Repair and Remote-Control Landing

| work = Space

| date = June 29, 2006

| url = https://www.space.com/2560-shuttle-carry-tools-repair-remote-control-landing.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = November 22, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211122160320/https://www.space.com/2560-shuttle-carry-tools-repair-remote-control-landing.html

| url-status = live

}} On July 12 astronauts Piers Sellers and Michael Fossum performed an EVA to test the NonOxide Adhesive eXperiment (NOAX), which applied protective sealant to samples of damaged TPS tiles.{{r|olympus|p=70}} Discovery undocked from the ISS on July 14 and safely landed at 9:14{{spaces}}am on July 17 at KSC.{{r|sts121_mission_accomplished}} Had the crew been stranded in orbit, NASA planned to launch Atlantis to rescue them from the ISS.{{cite web |url=http://mynasa.nasa.gov/pdf/149873main_sts121_press_kit.pdf |title=Space Shuttle Mission STS-121: The Second Step |publisher=NASA |date=May 2006|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060723042544/http://mynasa.nasa.gov/pdf/149873main_sts121_press_kit.pdf |archive-date=July 23, 2006|access-date=November 28, 2022}}{{cite web

| last = Dunbar

| first = Brian

| title = STS-115

| publisher = NASA

| date = April 2, 2008

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/main/index.html

| accessdate = November 28, 2022

| archive-date = April 3, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220403205134/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/main/index.html

| url-status = live

}}

In January 2004 President Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration, calling for the Space Shuttle fleet to complete the ISS and be retired by 2010, to be replaced by a newly developed Crew Exploration Vehicle for travel to the Moon and Mars.{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/bush_vision.html|access-date=August 20, 2022|last=Wilson|first=Jim|publisher=NASA|title=President Bush offers new vision for NASA|date=January 14, 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510062228/http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/bush_vision.html|archive-date=May 10, 2007}} In 2004, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe canceled a planned servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope and decided that future missions would all rendezvous with the ISS to ensure the safety of the crew.{{cite news

| last = Leary

| first = Warren E.

| title = NASA Chief Affirms Stand On Canceling Hubble Mission

| work = The New York Times

| date = January 29, 2004

| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/29/us/nasa-chief-affirms-stand-on-canceling-hubble-mission.html

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = August 22, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220822144530/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/29/us/nasa-chief-affirms-stand-on-canceling-hubble-mission.html

| url-status = live

}} In 2006, his successor, Michael Griffin, decided to have one more servicing mission to the telescope, STS-125, which flew in May 2009.{{cite web

| last = Lawler

| first = Andrew

| title = NASA to Fix Hubble Telescope

| publisher = Science

| date = October 31, 2006

| url = https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-fix-hubble-telescope

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = December 24, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211224090616/https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-fix-hubble-telescope

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| last = Kauderer

| first = Amiko

| title = STS-125 Mission Information

| publisher = NASA

| date = September 30, 2009

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts125/main/index.html

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = June 15, 2009

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090615053932/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts125/main/index.html

| url-status = live

}} The retirement of the Space Shuttle was delayed until 2011,{{cite magazine

| last = Grossman

| first = Lisa

| title = NASA Pushes Back End of Shuttle Era to 2011

| magazine = Wired

| date = July 1, 2010

| url = https://www.wired.com/2010/07/final-shuttles-delayed/

| accessdate = August 22, 2022 }}{{cite news

| last = Howell

| first = Elizabeth

| title = The last voyage of NASA's space shuttle: Looking back at Atlantis' final mission 10 years later

| work = Space

| date = July 9, 2021

| url = https://www.space.com/space-shuttle-final-mission-atlantis-10-years

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = April 9, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220409112228/https://www.space.com/space-shuttle-final-mission-atlantis-10-years

| url-status = live

}} after which no further crewed spacecraft were launched from the United States until 2020 when SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission successfully carried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken to the ISS.{{Cite news|title=NASA And SpaceX Launch First Astronauts To Orbit From U.S. Since 2011|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/05/30/864514995/spacex-and-nasa-try-once-more-to-launch-astronauts|access-date=August 21, 2022|date=May 30, 2020|last1=Brumfiel|first1=Geoff|last2=Neuman|first2=Scott|work=NPR|language=en|archive-date=June 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605200850/https://www.npr.org/2020/05/30/864514995/spacex-and-nasa-try-once-more-to-launch-astronauts|url-status=live}}

File:Columbia makeshift memorial.jpg in Houston, Texas]]

{{external media| float = right|width=230px| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?174967-1/shuttle-columbia-memorial-service Shuttle Columbia Memorial Service, National Cathedral, February 6, 2003], C-SPAN}}

File:20240202 STS-107 Forever Remembered 542A1766.jpg]]

On February 4, 2003, President Bush and his wife Laura led a memorial service for the astronauts' families at the Johnson Space Center. Two days later, Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne led a similar service at Washington National Cathedral. Patti LaBelle sang "Way Up There" as part of the service.{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0302/06/se.03.html|title=Remembering the Columbia 7: Washington National Cathedral Memorial for Astronauts|date=February 6, 2003|access-date=September 15, 2011|work=CNN|first=Judy|last=Woodruff|author-link=Judy Woodruff|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113193826/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0302/06/se.03.html|archive-date=January 13, 2012}} A memorial service was held at KSC on February 7; Robert Crippen, the first pilot of Columbia, gave a eulogy for the crew and a tribute for Columbia herself, acknowledging her achievements as the first orbiter and NASA's flagship, her role in trying desperately to save the crew on STS-107, and her many missions dedicated to scientific research.{{r|columbia_home|page=155}} On October 28, 2003, the names of the crew were added to the Space Mirror Memorial at the KSC Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida, alongside the names of 17 other astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the line of duty.{{cite web

| last = Armstrong

| first = Dennis

| title = STS-107 Crew Members Will Shine Permanently on Space Mirror

| publisher = NASA

| date = October 28, 2003

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/107_mirror.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = May 8, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220508234514/https://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/107_mirror.html

| url-status = dead

}} On February 2, 2004, NASA Administrator O'Keefe unveiled a memorial for the STS-107 crew at Arlington National Cemetery, and it is located near the Challenger memorial.{{cite web

| last = Wilson

| first = Jim

| title = NASA Dedicates Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2, 2004

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04049_columbia_memorial.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = April 15, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210415151008/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04049_columbia_memorial.html

| url-status = live

}} A tree for each astronaut was planted in NASA's Astronaut Memorial Grove at the Johnson Space Center, along with trees for each astronaut from the Apollo 1 and Challenger disasters.{{cite web

| last = Mikati

| first = Massarah

| title = Memorial Grove at Johnson Space Center offers tribute to late astronauts

| work = Houston Chronicle

| date = May 7, 2019

| url = https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/space/mission-moon/article/Where-NASA-honors-its-fallen-Memorial-grove-at-13818043.php

| access-date = July 19, 2021

| archive-date = July 19, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210719083636/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/space/mission-moon/article/Where-NASA-honors-its-fallen-Memorial-grove-at-13818043.php

| url-status = live

}} The exhibit Forever Remembered at KSC Visitor Complex features the cockpit window frames from Columbia.{{cite web

| title = Forever Remembered

| publisher = NASA

| date = 2022

| url = https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/shuttle-a-ship-like-no-other/forever-remembered

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = May 15, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220515020707/https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/shuttle-a-ship-like-no-other/forever-remembered

| url-status = live

}} In 2004, Bush conferred posthumous Congressional Space Medals of Honor to all 14 crew members killed in the Challenger and Columbia accidents.{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/spacemedal.htm |title=Congressional Space Medal of Honor |publisher=NASA History Program Office |access-date=August 21, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220213828/http://history.nasa.gov/spacemedal.htm |archive-date=February 20, 2011}}

NASA named several places in honor of Columbia and the crew. Seven asteroids discovered in July 2001 were named after astronauts: 51823 Rickhusband, 51824 Mikeanderson, 51825 Davidbrown, 51826 Kalpanachawla, 51827 Laurelclark, 51828 Ilanramon, 51829 Williemccool.{{cite web| publisher=NASA|last=Wilson|first=Jim|access-date=December 16, 2022| date=August 6, 2003| title=Asteroids Dedicated To Space Shuttle Columbia Crew| url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/aug/HQ_03259_astroids_dedicated.html| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216112444/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/aug/HQ_03259_astroids_dedicated.html| archive-date=December 16, 2022| df=mdy-all}} On Mars, the landing site of the rover Spirit was named Columbia Memorial Station, and included a memorial plaque to the Columbia crew mounted on the back of the high gain antenna.{{cite web

| last = Armstrong

| first = Dennis

| title = Spirit Honors the Crew of Space Shuttle Columbia

| publisher = NASA

| date = January 8, 2004

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/missions/shuttle/f_marsplaque.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = December 18, 2016

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20161218171043/https://www.nasa.gov/missions/shuttle/f_marsplaque.html

| url-status = live

}} A complex of seven hills east of the Spirit landing site was dubbed the Columbia Hills; each of the seven hills was individually named for a member of the crew,{{cite web

| last = Wilson

| first = Jim

| title = NASA Dedicates Mars Landmarks To Columbia Crew

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 2, 2004

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04048_columbia_landmarks.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = June 27, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220627193421/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04048_columbia_landmarks.html

| url-status = live

}} and the rover explored the summit of Husband Hill in 2005.{{cite web

| title = NASA's Mars Rover Spirit's View Southward from Husband Hill

| publisher = NASA

| date = January 23, 2014

| url = https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/5910/nasas-mars-rover-spirits-view-southward-from-husband-hill/

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = September 26, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210926113000/https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/5910/nasas-mars-rover-spirits-view-southward-from-husband-hill/

| url-status = live

}} In 2006, the IAU approved naming seven lunar craters after the astronauts.{{cite web

| title = Names for the Columbia astronauts provisionally approved

| publisher = USGS

| date = March 23, 2006

| url = https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/news/nomenclature/names-for-the-columbia-astronauts-provisionally-approved

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = July 9, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220709152009/https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/news/nomenclature/names-for-the-columbia-astronauts-provisionally-approved

| url-status = live

}}

In February 2006, NASA's National Scientific Balloon Facility was renamed the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.{{cite web

| last = Johnson

| first = Michelle

| title = The CSBF Mission, History, and Accomplishments

| publisher = NASA

| date = February 3, 2021

| url = https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/mission.html

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = April 14, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210414134156/https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/mission.html

| url-status = live

}} A supercomputer built in 2004 at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division was named "Columbia".{{cite web

| last = Dunbar

| first = Bryan

| title = NASA Unveils Its Newest, Most Powerful Supercomputer

| publisher = NASA

| date = October 26, 2004

| url = https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_04353_columbia.html

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = July 30, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220730043542/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_04353_columbia.html

| url-status = live

}} The first part of the system, named "Kalpana", was dedicated to Chawla, who had worked at the Ames Research Center before joining the Space Shuttle program.{{cite web|url=http://www.nas.nasa.gov/publications/news/2004/05-10-04.html|title=NASA to Name Supercomputer After Columbia Astronaut|last=Mewhinney|first=Michael|publisher=NASA|date=May 10, 2004|access-date=August 22, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317094512/http://www.nas.nasa.gov/publications/news/2004/05-10-04.html|archive-date=March 17, 2013}} The first dedicated meteorological satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Metsat-1, was renamed to Kalpana-1 on February 5, 2003, after Chawla.{{cite web

| title = Kalpana-1

| publisher = Indian Space Research Organisation

| date = 2022

| url = https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/kalpana-1

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = August 12, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220812014948/https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/kalpana-1

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| last = Williams

| first = David R.

| title = Kalpana 1

| publisher = NASA

| date = April 27, 2022

| url = https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2002-043A

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = April 22, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210422025916/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2002-043A

| url-status = live

}}

In 2003, the airport in Amarillo, Texas, where Husband was from, was renamed to the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.{{cite news

| last = Watkins

| first = Matthew

| title = New exhibit honoring Rick Husband unveiled

| work = ABC 7

| date = August 29, 2018

| url = https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/new-exhibit-honoring-rick-husband-unveiled

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = August 22, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220822140143/https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/new-exhibit-honoring-rick-husband-unveiled

| url-status = live

}} A mountain peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range in the Colorado Rockies was renamed Columbia Point in 2003.{{cite web

| title = Secretary Norton and Nasa Administrator O'Keefe Announce "Columbia Point" In Honor of Space Shuttle Columbia

| publisher = U.S. Department of Interior

| date = June 10, 2003

| url = https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/archive/news/archive/03_News_Releases/030610a.htm#:~:text=%22Today%2C%20we%20name%20a%20point,for%20this%20shuttle%27s%20last%20voyage.

| accessdate = August 21, 2022

| archive-date = August 22, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220822140139/https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/archive/news/archive/03_News_Releases/030610a.htm#:~:text=%22Today%2C%20we%20name%20a%20point,for%20this%20shuttle%27s%20last%20voyage.

| url-status = live

}} In October 2004, both houses of Congress passed a resolution to change the name of Downey, California's Space Science Learning Center to the Columbia Memorial Space Center, which is located at the former manufacturing site of the Space Shuttle orbiters.{{cite web

| title = PUBLIC LAW 108–391

| publisher = US Congress

| date = October 30, 2004

| url = https://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ391/PLAW-108publ391.pdf

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = July 9, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220709163552/http://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ391/PLAW-108publ391.pdf

| url-status = live

}}{{cite news

| last = Barragan

| first = James

| title = Downey space museum is struggling to survive

| work = Los Angeles Times

| date = February 14, 2014

| url = https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-downey-space-museum-20140214-story.html

| accessdate = May 31, 2022

| archive-date = May 31, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220531064515/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-downey-space-museum-20140214-story.html

| url-status = live

}}

On April 1, 2003, the Opening Day of baseball season, the Houston Astros honored the Columbia crew by having seven simultaneous first pitches thrown by family and friends of the crew. During the singing of the national anthem, 107 NASA personnel carried a U.S. flag onto the field.{{cite web| title=Astros Honor Astronauts at Season Opener| url=http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/HP_ELT_Feature_astros.html| publisher=NASA| access-date=May 31, 2022|date=November 30, 2007|last=Wilson|first=Jim| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061003074949/http://www1.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/HP_ELT_Feature_astros.html| archive-date=October 3, 2006| df=mdy-all}} The Astros wore the mission patch on their sleeves the entire season.{{cite news

| title = Astros to Wear Shuttle's Mission Patch

| work = The Edwardsville Intelligencer

| date = February 23, 2003

| url = https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Astros-to-Wear-Shuttle-s-Mission-Patch-10564416.php

| accessdate = May 31, 2022

| archive-date = July 27, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220727191524/https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Astros-to-Wear-Shuttle-s-Mission-Patch-10564416.php

| url-status = live

}} On February 1, 2004, the first anniversary of the Columbia disaster, Super Bowl XXXVIII held in Houston's Reliant Stadium began with a pregame tribute to the crew of the Columbia by singer Josh Groban performing "You Raise Me Up", with the crew of STS-114 in attendance.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4292-2004Feb1.html|title=Columbia Astronauts Honored at Super Bowl|last=Babineck|first=Mark|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 1, 2004|access-date=August 21, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223043118/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4292-2004Feb1.html|archive-date=December 23, 2017}}{{cite news

| last = Maese

| first = Rick

| title = Mixed Emotions

| work = Los Angeles Times

| date = February 1, 2004

| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-feb-01-sp-houston1-story.html

| url-access = subscription

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = July 24, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220724081422/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-feb-01-sp-houston1-story.html

| url-status = live

}}

In 2004, two space journalists, Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, released their book, Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia. It discusses the history of the Space Shuttle program, and documents the post-disaster recovery and investigation efforts.{{cite news

| last = Weinberg

| first = Steve

| title = 'Comm Check' by Michael Cabbage and William Harwood

| work = Houston Chronicle

| date = January 25, 2004

| url = https://www.chron.com/life/article/Comm-Check-by-Michael-Cabbage-and-William-1970664.php

| accessdate = November 28, 2022

| archive-date = November 28, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221128144627/https://www.chron.com/life/article/Comm-Check-by-Michael-Cabbage-and-William-1970664.php

| url-status = live

}} Michael Leinbach, a retired Launch Director at KSC who was working on the day of the disaster, released Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew in 2018. It documents his personal experience during the disaster, and the debris and remains recovery efforts.{{r|columbia_home}}{{cite web

| last = Foust

| first = Jeff

| title = Review: Bringing Columbia Home

| publisher = The Space Review

| date = May 21, 2018

| url = https://thespacereview.com/article/3496/1

| accessdate = November 28, 2022

| archive-date = January 15, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230115201740/https://thespacereview.com/article/3496/1

| url-status = live

}}

In 2004, the documentary Columbia: The Tragic Loss was released; it told of the life of Ilan Ramon and focused on the issues in NASA management that led to the disaster.{{cite web

| last = Leydon

| first = Joe

| title = Columbia: The Tragic Loss

| publisher = Variety

| date = June 7, 2004

| url = https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/columbia-the-tragic-loss-1200532974/

| accessdate = November 28, 2022

| archive-date = January 15, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230115201739/https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/columbia-the-tragic-loss-1200532974/

| url-status = live

}} PBS released a Nova documentary, Space Shuttle Disaster, in 2008. It featured commentary from NASA officials and space experts, and discussed historical issues with the spacecraft and NASA.{{cite web

| title = Space Shuttle Disaster

| publisher = PBS

| date = June 22, 2011

| url = https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-shuttle-disaster.html

| accessdate = November 28, 2022

| archive-date = January 15, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230115201740/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-shuttle-disaster.html

| url-status = live

}}

The Scottish Celtic-Rock band Runrig included a song titled "Somewhere" on their album The Story that ends with a recording of a radio communication from Laurel Clark. Clark, who had become a fan of the band when she lived in Scotland, had a Runrig song "Running to the Light" play as her wakeup music on January 27; her CD of The Stamping Ground was recovered in the debris and presented to the band by Clark's husband and son.{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/music/skye-rockers-runrig-prepare-for-their-final-album-1-4016107|title=Skye rockers Runrig prepare for their final album|work=The Scotsman|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017024722/http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/music/skye-rockers-runrig-prepare-for-their-final-album-1-4016107|archive-date=October 17, 2016|last=Gilchrist|first=Jim|date=January 30, 2016|access-date=November 17, 2022}}{{cite news

| last = English

| first = Paul

| title = Doomed Columbia astronaut listened to Runrig in space hours before disaster

| work = The Times

| date = November 13, 2021

| url = https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/doomed-columbia-astronaut-listened-to-runrig-in-space-hours-before-disaster-cx0p8n3w0

| access-date = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = December 18, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211218153912/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/doomed-columbia-astronaut-listened-to-runrig-in-space-hours-before-disaster-cx0p8n3w0

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| title = Chronology of Wakeup Calls

| last = Fries

| first = Colin

| publisher = NASA

| date = March 13, 2015

| url = https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf

| accessdate = August 22, 2022

| archive-date = June 20, 2010

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100620230459/http://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf

| url-status = live

}}

• Criticism of the Space Shuttle program
• Engineering disasters
• Expedition 6
• List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents

{{NoteFoot}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{Include-NASA}}

{{Commons category|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster}}

{{Wikisource|Columbia Settlement|Columbia Settlement}}

• [http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/index.html NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrAZK8mxAGk Doppler radar animation of the debris after break up]
• [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030204-1.html President Bush's remarks at memorial service] (February 4, 2003)
• [http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/SRH_Disasters.htm The CBS News Space Reporter's Handbook STS-51L/107 Supplement]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160513025046/http://space.webtvselector.com/wiki_colombia_cockpit.htm The 13-min. Crew cabin video (subtitled). Ends 4-min. before the Shuttle began to disintegrate.]
• [http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-020104a.html Photos of recovered debris stored on the 16th floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC]

{{STS-107}}

{{Space Shuttle Columbia}}

{{Space Shuttle}}

{{Space Shuttles}}

{{Portal bar|United States|Spaceflight}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|32|57|22|N|99|2|29|W|region:US-TX_type:landmark_scale:1500000|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbia}}

Category:Articles containing video clips

Category:Kalpana Chawla

Category:Space accidents and incidents in the United States

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Category:Accidental deaths in Texas

Category:2003 disasters

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Category:Disasters in Louisiana

Category:Disasters in Texas

Category:February 2003 in the United States

Category:Presidency of George W. Bush

Category:Space missions that ended in failure