On February 1, 2003, during its re-entry into earth’s atmosphere, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated due to a basketball sized hole in the leading edge of its left wing, caused by a piece of foam which detached from the external tank during the ascent into orbit. On board the Columbia were seven astronauts: Commander Rick D. Husband, Pilot William C. McCool, and Mission Specialists David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, Laurel B. Clark, and Ilan Ramon.
This is the third of NASA’s spaceflight accidents, and it re-ignited my interest in space, for which I am eternally grateful.
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