SHUTTLE COLUMBIA BREAKS APART
Houston, Texas (JFK+50) Twenty years ago today, February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart upon reentry into the earth's atmosphere over Texas resulting in the deaths of all seven astronauts.
When the space shuttle was launched on June 16, a piece of foam insulation broke away from the propellant tank and hit the edge of Columbia's left wing.
That wing, impacted by wind and heat, blew off during the forces of re-entry.
President George W. Bush said...
"These astronauts knew the dangers and faced them willingly."
The tragedy grounded the shuttle fleet for 2.5 years and "sparked a major shift in American space flight."
SOURCE
"Columbia Disaster That Scuttled The Space Shuttle," by Laurence Coustal & Janet Mcevoy, January 29, 2023, Barron's, www.barrons.com/
