STS-107
Final flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, ending in disaster during re-entry.
Last updated
The orbiter disintegrated during reentry over Texas, killing all seven crew members.[1][2] NASA's Space Shuttle program had 113 flights total, and the orbiter Columbia had flown 28 times, when STS-107 launched in 2003.[3] Columbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003, and its orbital duration was 15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes, and 32 seconds.[1]
Key facts and history
The primary focus of STS-107 was multidisciplinary microgravity research, and it carried the SPACEHAB Research Double Module on its inaugural flight.[4] Ramon was the first Israeli in space, and his personal items included a copy of a drawing by Petr Ginz and a dollar bill from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.[5][6] The mission carried 80 experiments in total, including nine commercial payloads with 21 investigations and four payloads for the European Space Agency with 14 investigations.[7][3] During reentry, foam insulation from the external tank had struck Columbia's left wing during ascent, compromising the heat shield.[2][7]
Over 85,000 pieces of debris were collected, amounting to about 38 percent of the orbiter.[8][3] The seven-member crew consisted of Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.[7]
What the cited sources add
A NASA account notes that STS-107 was the first shuttle mission dedicated to microgravity research in nearly five years and flew a 16-day solo mission.[7] The same source states that many experiments had application for future space station studies, with mission scientist John B. Charles calling it "simulated space station science"[7] The NASA source also reports that the crew chatted with Expedition 6 aboard the International Space Station on January 27.[7] A NASASpaceFlight.com article describes that the mission suffered a near-record number of delays, with the original launch date announced in March 1998 being May 2000.[9]
That article also notes that the VCD experiment flown on STS-107 was a prototype that removed about 97 percent of urine solids from water.[9] The same source states that the International Space Station's waste water recycling system was first tested in space by the STS-107 crew.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "STS-107" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "HSF - STS-107 Science", NASA, May 30, 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "STS-107" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "20 Years Ago: Remembering Columbia and Her Crew - NASA", 2023-01-26 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "STS-107", NASA, August 29, 2023. facts only, no text reused. nasa.gov
- Wikipedia, "STS-107" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "STS-107 - NASA" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "STS-107" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "STS-107", Spacepatches.nl, January 16, 2003 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "STS-107" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brown, "Israeli astronaut busy up in space", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 27, 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "20 Years Ago: Remembering Columbia and Her Crew - NASA", 2023-01-26. facts only, no text reused. nasa.gov
- Wikipedia, "STS-107" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "STS-107", NASA, August 29, 2023; "STS-107", NASA, August 29, 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Bergin, "STS-107: Remembering the accomplishments of the Columbia crew", NASASpaceFlight.com, 2013-02-01. facts only, no text reused. nasaspaceflight.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article STS-107 (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Space program fatalities
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: STS-107 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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