Disaster & Disease1 February 2003

Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

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NASAPublic domainWikimedia Commons

On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts on board. It was the second of two Space Shuttle missions to end in disaster, after the loss of Challenger and crew in 1986. The mission, designated STS-107, was the twenty-eighth flight for the orbiter and the 113th flight of the Space Shuttle fleet.

Gallery

NASA Stennis Space CenterPublic domainWikimedia Commons
NASAPublic domainWikimedia Commons
Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994Public domainWikimedia Commons
NASAPublic domainWikimedia Commons
JohnOwen848CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
National Weather Service office, Shreveport, LouisianaPublic domainWikimedia Commons
NASAPublic domainWikimedia Commons
NASAPublic domainWikimedia Commons
UnknownUnknown — LoC, rights unverifiedLibrary of Congress
UnknownUnknown — LoC, rights unverifiedLibrary of Congress

Where it happened

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