STS-107 Columbia Crew Lithophane Globe

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The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) broke apart in the atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. This catastrophic event was the second fatal accident in the US space program, following the 1986 breakup of Challenger shortly after launch. During STS-107, Columbia's 28th mission, a piece of foam insulation detached from the external tank and struck the left wing of the orbiter. Previous shuttle launches had experienced similar foam shedding, causing minor to catastrophic damage, but some engineers suspected that the harm to Columbia was more severe. Before re-entry, NASA managers restricted the investigation, reasoning that the crew could not have repaired the problem even if it had been confirmed. When Columbia re-entered Earth's atmosphere, the damage allowed hot gases to penetrate the heat shield and destroy the internal wing structure, causing the spacecraft to become unstable and break apart. The disaster led to a two-year suspension of Space Shuttle flight operations, mirroring the aftermath of the Challenger disaster. Construction of the International Space Station was put on hold; for 29 months, it relied solely on Russian resupply missions until STS-114 resumed shuttle flights. NASA implemented several changes in response to the disaster, including conducting thorough on-orbit inspections and maintaining a designated rescue mission in case irreparable damage was found. Subsequent shuttle missions were flown only to the ISS, allowing the crew to use it as a safe haven if damage prevented a successful re-entry.