From the archives: Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on Feb. 1, 2003

Wednesday marks 20 years since NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts on board. On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle was expected to land at 9:16 a.m. ET, but mission control in Houston lost contact with Columbia at around 9 a.m. ET. Shortly thereafter, debris was reported in the skies above Texas. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board later found the likely source of the accident was damage to the left wing caused by the left bipod foam ramp that broke off during takeoff. This damaged the protective tiles on the spacecraft and allowed hot gases to penetrate and melt major structural elements of the wing upon re-entry. Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon died in the tragedy. CBS anchor Russ Mitchell reported on the breaking story from the studio, joined by CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood at Kennedy Space Center.

#archives #nasa #columbia

[pault.backes]

My heart goes out to the families of those seven astronauts.

[randhirparbhunath]

My heart sank once the news reached South Africa. I remember being devastated for days. Which boy doesn't want to go to space. These guys are still my heroes.

[DenisovichDev]

I remember the day, Kalpana Chawla was a hero here in India and she still is. A hero and an inspiration to all of us. May they all rest in peace.

[teddyobrien]

It is February 1st, 2003.
She begins her journey home.
Carrying a precious cargo, seven courageous travelers.
The dreams of mankind entrust her with their survival.
It is a dangerous path, but she is unafraid.
Her body becomes enveloped in a blazing carapace.
Many times before, she has made this journey, and has always completed it.
But not this time.
The fates do not grant her safe passage.
They have decided her life shall end here.
They demand her surrender, but she is not one to abdicate.
She must protect them.
For It is her solemn duty, her purpose.
The intensity of the flames increased.
Yet she stayed, seeing that her presence brought a peace of mind to those aboard her.
Like a mother hen draping her protective wings over her fragile chicks.
She knows she can’t defy the inexorable, but she must try.
For them.
The flames grew hotter still.
She fights, fighting the drag, fighting her destiny.
Home growing closer in her sights, and yet farther away.
The flames now pierce her carbon skin, the pain now overpowering.
She stayed as the atmosphere incinerated her.
She stayed protecting her children.
Embracing them closer than she ever had before.
Until, she can shield them no longer.
The angel has been clipped of her wings.
Her ashes are showered upon the earth.
Now, the streaks of orange and yellow have long since been erased from the sky.
And yet, if you know where to look, there you’ll see that she stayed as she sleeps.
With her children safely tucked gently under her wings.

- "The Journey Home", a free verse poem written by me.
Godspeed, Columbia and her crew.

[yikes]

As a 50 yr old, this was the second space disaster incident seen on TV in my short life. Nothing though, could ever rise above the tragedy of watching 9/11 happen.

[Megalith]

I was 15 when this happened. Was on the phone with my dad who was overseas (he was an A-10 Warthog fighter pilot and this was right after 9/11, didn’t get to see him much) and we had the launch on TV. Mom gasped and I was stunned n I remember kinda stuttering into the phone “Uhh, dad? The shuttles gone?” And he said “What??” And mom took the phone from me. - feels like a lifetime ago. Prayers to those brave families who lost so much that day.. 😢

[jessetorres]

I was a kid when this happened & I remember I was watching some cartoon when the screen went black for a second then the news came on to report this.

[kah]

I remember turning on the radio to check on the landing; living in FL, we would hear the sonic booms when the shuttle came home. When the booms were late, we turned on the radio to get updates. That’s when we all knew something was wrong.

It was also my oldest son’s 1st birthday.

[RyanB]

5:52 he immediately identifies the reason the shuttle was lost.

[Karateka]

I remember watching this broadcast and having flashbacks to watching the Challenger explode. When you look at all the utterly stupid things our society gets divided over today, it makes this tragedy even more tragic. Those seven astronauts came from various backgrounds, ethnic origins and political views, yet none of that mattered to them during their mission. Our petty divisions dishonor the brave men and women who lost their lives that day.

[ferramirez]

This footage looks so old I remember this vividly, I was about to turn 10 years that week, I had never seen something like that, it got stuck with me all this time.

[tacticaltop]

Absolutely heartbreaking. May they Rest in Peace! Condolences always to family, friends, and the nation for their tragic loss.

[rickmann]

I lived through this. I called family in Texas to tell them about it.
Yet today, I am hearing it for the first time AGAIN.
How is this even possible? How could I have forgotten this?

[galvinowens]

I was there that morning seen it blowing up in the sky that morning. I was in northern Arizona that morning.

[always-positivity]

I was 10 when this happend and I remember it vividly.

[UXB-pu]

So many people unnaturally I suppose began to assume that putting the space shuttle into orbit was easy due to the number of previous missions....nothing could be further from the truth it is still an incredible achievement of engineering and teamwork by such brilliant people and a hugely difficult and technical job.

[rydermccracken]

This is just sad r.i.p to all the people that passed away God bless them and their families.

[sookie_the_fairy]

Bless them... They should have taken the satellite images.. It would have been a space walk.. At least a chance.. I'm glad they are back to the Apollo design.. My great grandfather bought parts for an Apollo mission when he worked at Rockwell.. Not a huge thing but I'm proud... Hugs fellow humans.. 🇺🇦🇺🇸🌎✌

[maxthekit]

I was ten when this happened and in school we are doing a lesson about space and we were watching the coverage of this Landing it was heartbreaking then and it's still heartbreaking today

[ChosenOne]

George Santos was a backup astronaut in the Challenger Space Mission. Also, he fought alongside Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo.