| On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia
was destroyed during re-entry at the end of 16-day-long mission STS-107. The vehicle broke
up while traveling at 12,500 mph (Mach 18.3) at an altitude of 207,135 feet over East
Central Texas, resulting in the loss of both vehicle and crew. The seven astronauts who lost their lives in that tragedy are pictured
above, in NASA's official crew portrait. Seated in front are astronauts Rick D. Husband
(left), mission commander, and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing are (from left)
astronauts David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, Kalpana Chawla and Michael P. Anderson, all
mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist representing the Israeli Space
Agency. |
