Thirteen years ago to the day, 1 February 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of her crew: Rick Husband, commander; William McCool, pilot; David Brown, mission specialist; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Michael Anderson, mission specialist; Laurel Clark, mission specialist; & Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. The fateful flight, STS-107, carried the first Spacehab Double Research Module, the F.R.E.E.S.T.A.R. experimental pack, & a drawing of the Earth as seen from the Moon, drawn by Holocaust victim Petr Ginz.
The catastrophic loss of the Columbia overshadowed by the still-raw national trauma of 9/11 & the furor over the then-looming invasion of Iraq. Additionally, whereas the Challenger was lost during a highly publicized launch, the Columbia was lost upon re-entry after a lengthy (sixteen days) mission, circumstances that guaranteed the nation was not paying the same kind of attention 'til after the crew had been lost. I am as guilty of this neglect as anyone else, & for that I shall never be able to make adequate amends.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, construction of the International Space Station (I.S.S.) was halted & resupply & crew rotation duties were assumed by the Russian space program. The Space Shuttle would not fly again for a year & a half & 'twas announced that the remaining Shuttles—the Discovery (OV-103), the Atlantis (OV-104), & the Endeavour (OV-105)—would be retired following the completion of the construction of the I.S.S. in 2010 or 2011. No manned American spaceflight has flown since July 2011. We dare not fail to return to flight. We dare not forget Husband, McCool, Brown, Chawla, Anderson, Clark, & Ramon.
The Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed by the heat & friction of atmospheric reentry, following damage to her heat shielding, resulting in the death of her crew of seven, thirteen years ago today.
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