Columbia Space Shuttle Breaks on Re-entry
February 1, 2003 was another devastating day for America and NASA. This disaster is a terrible end to Columbia's life after its 28th mission. Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry. This was due to a chunk of foam the size of a briefcase breaking from the fuel tank, and striking the left wing leading edge. That strike on the wing damaged critical insulation tiles that were supposed to help protect the wind from intense heat by friction of air molecules on the wing. Engineers were supposed to ensure that if any chance of foam hitting the vehicle were possible, the launch would be canceled. The chunk of foam was ripped out by aerodynamic forces, and these forces were supposed to be allowed for in the design. The shuttle had been delayed for years, and another six months before the launch, because cracks were found in the solid rocket propellant and the launch was put off while the shuttle was repaired. This shuttle was coming in for re-entry when the damaged insulation started allowing super hot atmospheric gasses to enter the inner wing structure, quickly disintegrating the wing and the vehicle. It came down in many chunks that were spread over three states; Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Human remnants and many vehicle shards and parts were found strewn over the land. This was a terrible accident, and a huge gash in the history of space exploration in America.