Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-

102) was the first space-rated orbiter in NASA's Space
Shuttle fleet. It launched for the first time on mission STS-
1 on April 12, 1981, the first flight of the Space Shuttle
program. Over 22 years of service it completed 27
missions before disintegrating during re-entry near the end
of its 28th mission, STS-107 on February 1, 2003, resulting
in the deaths of all seven crew members.
History
Construction began on Columbia in 1975 at Rockwell
International's (formerly North American Aviation/North
American Rockwell) principal assembly facility
in Palmdale, California, a suburb of Los
Angeles. Columbia was named after the
American sloop Columbia Rediviva which, from 1787 to
1793, under the command of Captain Robert Gray,
explored the US Pacific Northwest and became the first
American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. It is also
named after the Command Module of Apollo 11, the first
manned landing on another celestial body.[3] Columbia was
also the female symbol of the United States. After
construction, the orbiter arrived at Kennedy Space
Center on March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first
launch. Columbia was originally scheduled to lift off in late
1979, however the launch date was delayed by problems
with both the SSME components, as well as the thermal
protection system (TPS).[4] On March 19, 1981, during
preparations for a ground test, workers were
asphyxiated while working in Columbia's nitrogen-purged
aft engine compartment, resulting in (variously reported)
two or three fatalities.[5][6]
The first flight of Columbia (STS-1) was commanded
by John Young, a veteran from the Gemini and Apollo
programs who was the ninth person to walk on the
Moon in 1972, and piloted by Robert Crippen, a rookie
astronaut originally selected to fly on the military's Manned
Orbital Laboratory (MOL) spacecraft, but transferred to
NASA after its cancellation, and served as a support crew
member for the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz missions.
Columbia spent 610 days in the Orbiter Processing Facility
(OPF), another 35 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building
(VAB), and 105 days on Pad 39A before finally lifting
off.[4]Columbia was successfully launched on April 12,
1981, the 20th anniversary of the first human
spaceflight (Vostok 1), and returned on April 14, 1981, after
orbiting the Earth 36 times, landing on the dry lakebed
runway at Edwards Air Force Base in
California. Columbia then undertook three further research
missions to test its technical characteristics and
performance. Its first operational mission, with a four-man
crew, was STS-5, which launched on November 11, 1982.
At this point Columbia was joined by Challenger, which
flew the next three shuttle missions,
while Columbia underwent modifications for the
first Spacelab mission.
In 1983, Columbia, under the command of John Young on
what was his sixth spaceflight, undertook its second
operational mission (STS-9), in which the Spacelab science
laboratory and a six-person crew was carried, including
the first non-American astronaut on a space shuttle, Ulf
Merbold. After the flight, Columbia spent 18 months at the
Rockwell Palmdale facility beginning in January 1984,
undergoing modifications that removed the Orbiter Flight
Test hardware and bringing it up to similar specifications
as those of its sister orbiters. At that time the shuttle fleet
was expanded to include Discovery and Atlantis.
Columbia returned to space on January 12, 1986, with the
launch of STS-61-C. The mission's crew included
Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, as well as the first sitting member
of the House of Representatives to venture into space, Bill
Nelson.
The next shuttle mission, STS-51-L, was undertaken
by Challenger. It was launched on January 28, 1986, ten
days after STS-61-C had landed, and ended in disaster73
seconds after launch. In the aftermath NASA's shuttle
timetable was disrupted, and Columbia was not flown
again until 1989 (on STS-28), after which it resumed normal
service as part of the shuttle fleet.

STS-93, launched on July 23, 1999, was the first U.S. space
mission with a female commander, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins.
This mission deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Columbia's final successful mission was STS-109, the
fourth servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope.
Its next mission, STS-107, culminated in the orbiter's
loss when it disintegrated during reentry, killing all seven
of its crew.
Consequently, President Bush decided to retire the Shuttle
orbiter fleet by 2010 in favor of the Constellation
program and its manned Orion spacecraft. The
Constellation program was later cancelled with the NASA
Authorization Act of 2010 signed by President Obama on
October 11.

History of the Space Shuttle Columbia

Before its 27 successful missions, the history of the Space Shuttle
Columbia includes some rigorous training and tests
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Those were the
memorable words spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong. From Neil Armstrong's
first steps on the Moon to the discovery of water on Mars, space exploration is no
longer science fiction. It has been many decades since Space Shuttle Columbia took
off for its fifth mission into space. On November 11, 1982, STS-5 successfully took
off following the success of the first four test flights. It then executed a triumphant
landing after spending five days, two hours, 14 minutes and 26 seconds in orbit.
After its first launch in April 1981, Columbia completed 27 missions, gathered 300 days spent in
space, and traveled a distance of 125,204,911 miles before disintegrating during re-entry near the
end of its 28th mission. On February 21st, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia, also referred to as STS-
107, exploded, resulting in the death of all seven of its crew members. While each successful mission
has had something to offer the world of space research and science, the first four missions of
Columbia were crucial for understanding the capabilities and flaws of the Space Shuttle that went on
to break barriers.

A Flight of Firsts

When the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off for the fifth time on November 11, 1982,
it joined the stable of NASA workhorses as a fully operational spacecraft. For STS-5,
Columbia carried two communications satellites, the payloads of the Shuttle's first
paying customers. There were other "firsts" as well. Commander Vance Brand and
Pilot Robert Overmyer were joined by Mission Specialists William Lenoir and
Joseph Allen, making it the first Shuttle mission to carry a crew of four. The two
ejection seats aboard Columbia's first four flights were removed for this mission,
and the four astronauts took off in "shirtsleeves," wearing regular flight outfits
rather than the pressurized escape suits worn by earlier crews.

Mission plans called for satellite SBS-C, a business communications satellite, to be

launched eight hours after the Shuttle took off, followed by the Canadian
communications satellite Telesat-E 24 hours later. The launch procedure was
identical for the two satellites. After the Orbiter reached the launch position and
the payload bay doors opened, two small motors began to spin the satellite to
insure flight stability. After a 30-minute checkout by the mission specialists, the
hold downs were released and a spring pushed the satellite away from the Orbiter.
When the satellite was about a mile from the Orbiter, the payload assist module (a
modified Delta rocket third stage) was fired, sending the satellite into its transfer
orbit far above. About two days later, the satellite ejected the burned-out payload
assist rocket and fired its own rocket to reach a geosynchronous orbit, 22,000 miles
above the Earth.

Mission planners added a day to STS-5's schedule to allow time for the two mission
specialists to put on their spacesuits and perform the first Shuttle extravehicular
activity (EVA), a stroll in Columbia's payload bay. This was the first use of the new
Shuttle spacesuits. During the EVA, mission specialists Lenoir and Allen tested
tools and repaired procedures to be used on future Shuttle missions.

Landing plans included use of the automatic landing system from 10,000 feet until
the Orbiter came to a stop on the runway. This was the biggest test of automatic
landing, yet. The landing was scheduled for Edwards Air Force Base in California,
though there was a chance that the Orbiter would touch down near the launch site
at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Successful Test Missions

Looking back on the first four missions, it's easy to forget that they
tested flights. Between each exciting launch and landing, scores of
systems and procedures were being tried and analyzed. The testing had
two basic goals. Engineers wanted to know how the Shuttle would
perform as a spacecraft. Scientists wanted to know how it worked as a
laboratory. In only 19 months from its maiden voyage, the Space
Transportation System (the "STS" in STS-1, STS-2, and so on) went
from the most famous experimental spacecraft in history to the world's
most sophisticated and versatile space truck.
STS-1 was created to prove the system would work and the first flight
of the Shuttle had a very simple goal: get Columbia and its crew safely
into space and back again. The landing promised to be especially
dramatic since nothing like it had ever been tried before. The Shuttle's
re-entry depended on a new and basically untried technology, the
Thermal Protection System (TPS). From the beginning, NASA had
trouble with the TPS's thousands of heat-resistant tiles.
The first launch attempt had to be scrubbed because the Shuttle's four
computers wouldn't "talk" to each other. But the problem was quickly
solved and on April 12, 1981, John Young and Robert Crippen took the
ride that everyone was waiting for. But the launch was perfect, actually
better than expected. Once in orbit, the payload bay doors were opened
so the cooling system could be tested. During this procedure, Shuttle-
watchers got their first scare: the astronauts saw that some of the
thermal protection tiles were missing! Even though NASA engineers
felt sure the astronauts were safe, everyone knew that a failure in the
TPS could mean a fiery end for spacecraft and crew.
After 53 hours in space, Columbia began its historic return to Earth.
The world waited anxiously as the Thermal Protection System got the
acid test. Tension grew as the heat of re-entry caused the usual
communications blackout. At the end of the blackout, the Shuttle crew
calmly reported all systems were nominal (the engineering term for "as
expected"). When the new spacecraft approached Edwards Air Force
Base for landing, two sonic booms rolled through the California sky, as
if to salute the beginning of the new age in space. At the post-flight
press conference, Commander John Young said, "The first Space
Shuttle flight can truly be called nominal, but I think we can do away
with the word nominal. You can call it phenomenal."
For STS-1, Columbia had carried a light payload of equipment designed
to collect engineering data. One objective of STS-2 was to see how the
Shuttle would perform with a heavier payload - about 7,000 pounds
heavier and was responsible for continuing the shake down. Along with
a scientific package, the payload bay held the Remote Manipulator
System (RMS), the remote controlled robot arm designed to let
astronauts work on cargo without leaving the cabin.
STS-2 had some bad luck, beginning with two launch delays. The first
delay was caused by problems with two of the Orbiter's Auxiliary Power
Units (APUs), which supply the power for maneuvering the main
engines, wing flaps, payload bay doors, and landing gear. The second
delay was caused by a malfunction in a unit designed to send data from
the spacecraft during the flight. Finally, on November 12, 1981,
Columbia became the first spacecraft to return to space. The bad luck
continued in orbit. Two and a half hours into the mission, a problem
was detected in one of Columbia's three fuel cells, which provide the
Orbiter's electrical power. Although the Orbiter can operate with only
two fuel cells if necessary, Mission Control decided to play it safe and
shorten the mission from 124 hours to 54. Even though the mission
was shortened, 90% of the mission objectives were accomplished. The
RMS performed well, despite several camera failures and a mechanical
problem which was later traced to a broken wire.
Most of the experiments aboard STS-2 were performed as planned.
One instrument, Shuttle Imaging Radar-A (SIR-A), used microwave
radiation to look through trees and plants directly at the Earth's
surface. The instrument actually was able to look below the surface of
the planet, revealing ancient terrain in the Sahara Desert. At the time,
it was predicted that SIR-A may help archeologists select areas in
which to dig, and may also be applied to planetary studies, such as
studying the surface beneath Mars' polar ice caps.
The Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer (SMIRR) used 10
different wavelengths of light to identify different mineral deposits
likely to hold valuable deposits of ore. The investigation was very
successful, and oil companies are already using the technique with
airplanes to examine small areas of Earth. But only SMIRR can study
large areas of the planet economically.
The troubled mission was completed on November 14, 1981 with a
near-perfect landing. And even though astronauts Joe Engle and
Richard Truly had more than their share of difficulties, they declared
the Shuttle "a magnificent flying machine."
The launch of STS-3 on March 22, 1982, was only one hour behind schedule. Once
in space, astronauts Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton put Columbia in several
positions to see how temperature differences affected various Shuttle systems. The
main positions tested were top-to-Sun, tail-to-Sun/bottom-to-Earth, and nose-to-
Sun. One purpose of the tests was to see if the heating systems were able to warm
critical parts that were not being heated by the Sun. The maneuvering engines were
also tested to see if they would function properly after being in the cold darkness of
space.

The testing uncovered a limitation of the payload bay doors, which refused to close
after being in the cold space of the Orbiter's shadow. This caused some concern
since the Shuttle can't land with the doors open, but the doors closed normally after
they were warmed up in the top-to-Sun position. An important goal of the Shuttle's
test flights was to study the way the Orbiter interacts with the space environment.
The Induced Environment Contamination Monitor (IECM) and other instruments
studied the amounts of cosmic dust and micrometeorites deposited on the Shuttle
and the instruments in the cargo bay. Only small amounts were detected.

Other experiments showed that water and gas dumped from the Orbiter and
materials released by the Shuttle's maneuvering jets have almost no effect on
instruments or the surrounding space. However, gasses dumped by the Orbiter do
cause a bright glow when the Orbiter is in sunlight. Since the glow disappears when
the Earth is between the Sun and the Orbiter, sensitive astronomical observations
may have to be done when the Orbiter is in the Earth's shadow.

However, the flexibility of the Shuttle program was tested when heavy rains in
California forced the landing to be shifted to the Northrup Airstrip at the White
Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. And a dust storm at the alternate landing site
forced a one-day extension of the mission. This delay meant a bonus for the solar
flare experiment, the Solar X-ray Polarimeter. During the extra day, an unusually
large solar flare was observed. With touchdown at 8:04 Pacific Time on March 30,
1982, the Shuttle completed its longest and most successful mission to this date.
STS-3 proved that Space Shuttle Columbia was indeed flight worthy.

On the ground, Shuttle operations were improving, too. Columbia returned to

Kennedy Space Center one week after landing at White Sands, one day ahead of
schedule. This was three days faster than the turnaround after STS-2, and six days
faster than the turnaround following STS-1. After the first mission, some 3,000
thermal protection tiles had to be repaired or replaced. By STS-3, the necessary
repairs to the TPS were cut in half. Much of the damage to tiles came from landing
on an unpaved strip, where dust and small stones were thrown up against the
underside of the Orbiter.

Securing the Standard Countdown with

STS-4
STS-4 was the first mission to use the standard countdown sequence planned for
operational missions, and its goal of proving operational readiness went off without
a hitch. Operators were especially proud that the June 27, 1982, liftoff took place on
schedule despite a violent hailstorm the day before launch. It went a long way
toward proving that the Shuttle could deliver dependable service to its future
customers. Columbia weighed over 5,000 pounds more at liftoff than it did for STS-
3. The launch path took Columbia through its maximum performance trajectory for
the first time, and the final orbit was 200 X 184 miles.
While in orbit, the crew performed more tests and scientific experiments. The RMS
got a heavy workout, manipulating a 869-pound payload, two times heavier than its
previous assignment. The payload bay doors again refused to close after being in
the cold of dark space, but again worked well after being heated in the sunlight.
Engineers didn't consider this a problem - rather just a lesson in the way the doors
had to be operated during future missions.

One of STS-4's experiments, called the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System,

actually marked the beginning of manufacturing in space. Electrophoresis is the
separation of different materials by their electrical properties. It is used to produce
drugs for a variety of diseases, including diabetes and cancer. On Earth,
electrophoresis is very expensive and inefficient because of the effects of gravity. In
the micro-g environment of space, purer products can be produced in much greater
amounts. The STS-4 experiment was such a great success that plans were then
being made for a commercialized electrophoresis system which would lead to the
sale of space-manufactured drugs by 1987.

Columbia's Final Test Flight

The Shuttle's last test flight ended on July 4, 1982, with Columbia's first
landing on a hard runway. While this wasn't a great technical challenge, it
did give NASA more confidence about landing at Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. With the completion of STS-4, 95 percent of the tests planned for the
first four flights were completed. A few bugs were found and ironed out, but
no serious malfunctions occurred. Some tests remained, especially landings
under different weather conditions, but NASA was satisfied that Columbia
was ready to do its job.

And the Columbia did go on to do its job. After the first four-person crew
came the first six-person crew. Following that success was satellite launches
and space labs, as well as many other tasks. With the advancements in
research, the sky is truly the limit for science and technology. Humanity's
quest for knowledge has continued for thousands of years; we're never
satisfied with the little we know about the universe we live in. Whether we
are exploring Mars or venturing into space to understand other planets,
successes of Space Shuttles such as Columbia will allow us to take the quest
into space in a progressive and economical way. Advancements in space
research promise to return our investment in space - both in dollars and
indirect benefits to humanity - as it takes us to work far above our home
planet.
SPACETECH
Construction milestones
Prototype orbiter
Weight[edit]
As the second orbiter to be constructed, and the first able
to fly into space, Columbia was roughly 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
heavier than subsequent orbiters such as Endeavour,
which were of a slightly different design, and had benefited
from advances in materials technology.[9] In part, this was
due to heavier wing and fuselage spars, the weight of early
test instrumentation that remained fitted to the avionics
suite, and an internal airlock that, originally fitted into the
other orbiters, was later removed in favor of an external
airlock to facilitate Shuttle/Mir and Shuttle/International
Space Station dockings.[10] Due to its
weight, Columbia could not have used the
planned Centaur-G booster (cancelled after the loss
of Challenger).[11] The retention of the internal airlock
allowed NASA to use Columbia for the STS-109 Hubble
Space Telescope servicing mission, along with
the Spacehab double module used on STS-107.[citation
needed]
Due to Columbia's heavier weight, it was less ideal
for NASA to use it for missions to the International Space
Station, though modifications were made to the Shuttle
during its last refit in case the spacecraft was needed for
such tasks.
Thermal protection system[edit]
Externally, Columbia was the first orbiter in the fleet whose
surface was mostly covered with High & Low Temperature
Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI/LRSI) tiles as its
main thermal protection system (TPS), with white silicone
rubber-painted Nomex – known as Felt Reusable Surface
Insulation (FRSI) blankets – in some areas on the wings,
fuselage and payload bay doors. FRSI once covered
almost 25% of the orbiter; the first upgrade resulted in its
removal from many areas, and in later flights it was only
used on the upper section of the payload bay doors and
inboard sections of the upper wing surfaces.[12] The
upgrade also involved replacing many of the white LRSI
tiles on the upper surfaces with Advanced Flexible
Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) blankets (also known
as Fibrous Insulation Blankets, or FIBs) that had been
used on Discovery and Atlantis. Originally, Columbia had
32,000 tiles – the upgrade reduced this to 24,300. The
AFRSI blankets consisted of layers of pure silica felt
sandwiched between a layer of silica fabric on the outside
and S-Glass fabric on the inside, stitched together using
pure silica thread in a 1-inch grid, then coated with a high-
purity silica coating. The blankets were semi-rigid and
could be made as large as 30" by 30". Each blanket
replaced as many as 25 tiles and was bonded directly to
the orbiter.[12] The direct application of the blankets to the
orbiter resulted in weight reduction, improved durability,
reduced fabrication and installation cost, and reduced
installation schedule time.[13] All of this work was
performed during Columbia's first retrofitting and the post-
Challenger stand-down.

Columbia landing at Edwards Air Force

Base following STS-28.
Despite refinements to the orbiter's thermal protection
system and other enhancements, Columbia would never
weigh as little unloaded as the other orbiters in the fleet.
The next-oldest shuttle, Challenger, was also relatively
heavy, although 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) lighter than Columbia.
Markings and insignia[edit]
Until its last refit, Columbia was the only operational
orbiter with wing markings consisting of an American flag
on the port (left) wing and the letters "USA" on the
starboard (right)
wing. Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour all,
until 1998, bore markings consisting of the letters "USA"
above an American flag on the left wing, and the pre-
1998 NASA "worm" logo afore the respective orbiter's
name on the right wing. (Enterprise, the test vehicle which
was the prototype for Columbia, originally had the same
wing markings as Columbia but with the letters "USA" on
the right wing spaced closer together; Enterprise's
markings were modified to match Challenger in 1983.) The
name of the orbiter was originally placed on the payload
bay doors much like Enterprise but was placed on the crew
cabin after the Challengerdisaster so that the orbiter could
be easily identified while in orbit. From its last refit to its
destruction, Columbia bore markings identical to those of
its operational sister orbiters – the NASA "meatball" logo
on the left wing and the American flag afore the orbiter's
name on the right; only Columbia's distinctive wing
"chines" remained. These black areas on the upper
surfaces of the shuttle's forward wing were added
because, at first, shuttle designers did not know how
reentry heating would affect the craft's upper wing
surfaces.[citation needed] The "chines" allowed Columbia to be
easily recognized at a distance, as opposed to the
subsequent orbiters. The "chines" were added
after Columbia arrived at KSC in 1979.
SILTS pod[edit]
Another unique external feature, termed the "SILTS" pod,
was located on the top of Columbia's vertical stabilizer,
and was installed after STS-9 to acquire infrared and other
thermal data. Though the pod's equipment was removed
after initial tests, NASA decided to leave it in place, mainly
to save costs, along with the agency's plans to use it for
future experiments. The vertical stabilizer was later
modified to incorporate the drag chute first used
on Endeavour in 1992.
Other upgrades[edit]

Columbia landing at the Kennedy Space

Center following STS-62.
Columbia was also originally fitted with Lockheed-built
ejection seats identical to those found on the SR-71
Blackbird. These were active for the four orbital test
flights, but deactivated after STS-4, and removed entirely
after STS-9. Columbia was also the only spaceworthy
orbiter not delivered with head-up displays for the
Commander and Pilot, although these were incorporated
after STS-9. Like its sister ships, Columbia was eventually
retrofitted with the new MEDS "glass cockpit" display and
lightweight seats.
Future[edit]

Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-109(HST-3B), its

final successful mission
Had Columbia not been destroyed, it would have been
fitted with the external airlock/docking adapter for STS-
118, an International Space Station assembly mission,
originally planned for November 2003. Columbia was
scheduled for this mission due to Discovery being out of
service for its Orbital Maintenance Down Period, and
because the ISS assembly schedule could not be adhered
to with only Endeavour and Atlantis.
Columbia’s 'career' would have started to wind down
after STS-118. It was to service the Hubble Space
Telescope two more times between 2004 and 2005, but no
more missions were planned for it again except for a
mission designated STS-144 where it would retrieve
the Hubble Space Telescope from orbit and bring it back
to Earth.[citation needed] Following the Columbia accident,
NASA flew the STS-125 mission using Atlantis, combining
the planned fourth and fifth servicing missions into one
final mission to Hubble. Because of the retirement of the
Space Shuttle fleet, the batteries and gyroscopes that keep
the telescope pointed will eventually fail also because of
the magnifier screen, which would result in its reentry and
break-up in Earth's atmosphere. A "Soft Capture Docking
Mechanism", based on the docking adapter that was to be
used on the Orion spacecraft, was installed during the last
servicing mission in anticipation of this event.
Columbia was also scheduled to launch the X-38 V-201
Crew Return Vehicle prototype as the next mission after
STS-118, until the cancellation of the project in 2002.[14]
Flights[edit]
Columbia flew 28 missions, gathering 300.74 days spent in
space with 4,808 orbits and a total distance of 125,204,911
miles (201,497,772 km) up until STS-107.
Despite being in service during the Shuttle-
Mir and International Space
Station programs, Columbia did not fly any missions that
visited a space station. The other three active orbiters at
the time had visited both Mir and the ISS at least
once. Columbia was not suited for high-inclination
missions.
Final mission and destruction[edit]
Main article: Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The crew of STS-107 in October 2001. From left to

right: Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool,
Ramon
Columbia memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
Columbia was destroyed at about 09:00 EST on February 1,
2003 while re-entering the atmosphere after a 16-day
scientific mission. The Columbia Accident Investigation
Board determined that a hole was punctured in the leading
edge on one of Columbia's wings, made of a
carbon composite. The hole had formed when a piece of
insulating foam from the external fuel tank peeled off
during the launch 16 days earlier and struck the shuttle's
left wing. During the intense heat of re-entry, hot gases
penetrated the interior of the wing, likely compromising the
hydraulic system and leading to control failure of the
control surfaces. The resulting loss of control exposed
minimally protected areas of the orbiter to full-entry
heating and dynamic pressures that eventually led to
vehicle break up.[15] The report also delved deeply into the
underlying organizational and cultural issues that led to
the accident. The report was highly critical of NASA's
decision-making and risk-assessment processes. Further,
the board determined that unlike early claims, a rescue
mission was indeed possible using the Shuttle Atlantis
which was essentially ready for launch and might have
saved the Columbia crewmembers. The nearly 84,000
pieces of collected debris of the vessel are stored in a 16th
floor office suite in the Vehicle Assembly Building at
the Kennedy Space Center. The collection was opened to
the media once and has since been open only to
researchers.[16][17] Unlike Challenger, which had
a replacement orbiter built, Columbia did not.
The seven crew members who died aboard this final
mission were: Rick Husband, Commander; William C.
McCool, Pilot; Michael P. Anderson, Payload
Commander/Mission Specialist 3; David M. Brown, Mission
Specialist 1; Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2; Laurel
Clark, Mission Specialist 4; and Ilan Ramon, Payload
Specialist 1.[18]

Tributes and memorials[edit]

Patricia Huffman Smith Museum
The debris field encompassed hundreds of miles
across Northeast Texas and into Louisiana. The nose cap
and remains of all seven crew members were found
in Sabine County, East Texas.[citation needed] To honor those
who lost their lives aboard the shuttle and during the
recovery efforts, the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA
Museum"Remembering Columbia" was opened
in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. The museum tells the
story of Space Shuttle Columbia explorations throughout
all its missions, including the final STS-107. Its exhibits
also show the efforts of local citizens during the recovery
period of the Columbia shuttle debris and its crew's
remains. An area is dedicated to each STS-107 crew
member, and also to the Texas Forest Service helicopter
pilot who died in the recovery effort. The museum houses
many objects and artifacts from: NASA and its contractors;
the families of the STS-107 crew; and other individuals.
The crew's families contributed personal items of the crew
members to be on permanent display. The museum
features two interactive simulator displays that emulate
activities of the shuttle and orbiter. The digital learning
center and its classroom provide educational opportunities
for all ages.[19]
Columbia Memorial Space Center
The Columbia Memorial Space Center is the U.S. national
memorial for the Space Shuttle Columbia’s seven crew
members. It is located in Downey on the site of the Space
Shuttle's origins and production, the former North
American Aviation plant in Los Angeles County, southern
California. The facility is also a hands-on learning center
with interactive exhibits, workshops, and classes
about space science, astronautics, and the Space Shuttle
program's legacy — providing educational opportunities
for all ages.[20]
Naming dedications
The shuttle's final crew was honored in 2003 when
the United States Board on Geographic Names approved
the name Columbia Point for a 13,980-foot (4,260 m)
mountain in Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, less
than a half-mile from Challenger Point, a peak named after
America's other lost shuttle. The Columbia
Hills on Mars were also named in honor of the crew, and a
host of other memorials were dedicated in various forms.
The Columbia supercomputer at the NASA Advanced
Supercomputing (NAS) Division located at Ames Research
Center in California was named in honor of the crew lost in
the 2003 disaster. Built as a joint effort between NASA and
technical partners SGI and Intel in 2004, the
supercomputer was used in scientific research of space,
the Earth's climate, and aerodynamic design of space
launch vehicles and aircraft.[21] The first part of the system,
built in 2003, was dedicated to STS-107 astronaut and
engineer Kalpana Chawla, who prior to joining the Space
Shuttle program worked at Ames Research Center.[22]
Media tributes[edit]
Guitarist Steve Morse of the rock band Deep Purple wrote
the instrumental "Contact Lost" in response to the news of
the tragedy, recorded by Deep Purple and featured as the
closing track on their 2003 album "Bananas". It was
dedicated to the astronauts whose lives were lost in the
disaster. Morse donated songwriting royalties to the
families of lost astronauts.[23] Astronaut and mission
specialist engineer Kalpana Chawla, one of the victims of
the accident, was a fan of Deep Purple and had exchanged
e-mails with the band during the flight, making the tragedy
even more personal for the group.[23] She took three CDs
into space with her, two of which were Deep Purple albums
(Machine Head and Purpendicular). Both CDs survived the
destruction of the shuttle and the 39-mile plunge.[24]
The musical group Echo's Children included singer-
songwriter Cat Faber's "Columbia" on their final
album From the Hazel Tree.[25]
The Long Winters band's 2005 album Ultimatum features
the song "The Commander Thinks Aloud", a tribute to the
final Columbia crew.[26]
The Eric Johnson instrumental "Columbia" from his 2005
album Bloom was written as a commemoration and tribute
to the lives that were lost. Johnson said "I wanted to make
it more of a positive message, a salute, a celebration rather
than just concentrating on a few moments of tragedy, but
instead the bigger picture of these brave people’s lives."[27]
The graphic novel Orbiter by Warren Ellis and Colleen
Doran was dedicated to the "lives, memories and legacies
of the seven astronauts lost on space
shuttle Columbia during mission STS-107."
Laurel Clark’s wake up call on STS – 107 was Runrig’s
"Running to the Light". Laurel took The Stamping
Ground CD into space with her and when the Shuttle
exploded the CD was found back on Earth, and presented
to the band. The bands last Studio Album, The Story, final
track, "Somewhere", ends with a recording of her voice
introducing the song.
Popular culture[edit]

 Fans of the original Star Trek television series were

largely responsible for NASA naming the first Space
Shuttle Enterprise. In the television series Star Trek:
Enterprise both the first and second starships of the
human-built NX-Class, registry numbers NX-01 & NX-02
respectively, were named in honor of pre-
existing NASA Space Shuttles. The second vessel's
name was first revealed in the season 3 episode "E²" to
be Columbia, in honor of the Space
Shuttle Columbia following its destruction on February
1, 2003. The uniforms on NX-02 Columbia bear a crew
patch depicting 7 stars, in honor of the astronauts who
died in the accident.
 In Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon Yellow a model
of the Space Shuttle can be seen on the second floor of
the Pewter City Museum. While it was specifically
named as Columbia in the original games, in the
2004 remakes Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, the
model was simply identified as "Space Shuttle". The
2016 Virtual Console release of the original games still
identified the Space Shuttle as Columbia.
 A restored Columbia was used in episode 19 ("Wild
Horses") of the anime Cowboy Bebop to rescue Spike
when his Swordfish enters a steep orbit and is going to
burn up. After the rescue, the shuttle crash-lands after
losing heat-resistant tiles. The anime, made in 1998,
predated the Columbia disaster by five years.[28]
 The beginning of Kate Bush's song Hello Earth, from
the Hounds of Love album, samples signals to and
from Columbia during a re-entry during the early 1980s.
 Homer Hickam's novel Back to the Moon is mostly set
on Columbia. The structural differences
between Columbia and the other shuttles is central to
the plot.
 In the finale of the first season of The West Wing, "What
Kind of Day Has It Been", Columbia does not land on
schedule due to technical problems with a door
mechanism. Toby Ziegler's brother is on board. The
shuttle lands successfully by the end of the episode.
 The rock band Rush wrote and recorded the song
"Countdown" about the launch of STS-1. All three
members of the group were present at the launch, and
the credits of the album Signals dedicated the song to
"the astronauts Young & Crippen and all the people of
NASA for their inspiration and cooperation."
 The shuttle features in opening chapters of the
1997 Stephen Baxter novel 'Titan', where it is portrayed
carrying out mission STS-143.
 Crew members from Mission STS-73 (Ken
Bowersox, Catherine G. Coleman, Kathryn C.
Thornton, Frederick W. Leslie, and Albert Sacco) were
featured in the Home Improvement television show in
the episode "Fear of Flying" as well as scenes from the
shuttle mission.
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