Seven crew, a 16-day science mission and the investigation that followed
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Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry over Texas on 1 February 2003, ending the 16-day STS-107 science mission and the lives of all seven crew: Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board found that a piece of foam insulation from the external tank had struck the left wing's leading edge during launch.
8 video perspectives
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53:45
A NOVA documentary on the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia, which broke apart over Texas on re-entry in 2003 and killed all seven crew.
Published 31 Oct 2020
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10:53
A retrospective on the loss of space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003, during reentry after a roughly two-week science mission, which killed all seven crew members.
Published 22 Oct 2021
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54:15
A documentary on the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003, which killed all seven crew members on re-entry.
Published 8 Aug 2025
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54:15
A documentary on the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003, which killed all seven astronauts on the return from the 16-day STS-107 science mission.
Published 28 Nov 2025
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