Photos: The Columbia Space Shuttle Tragedy

Remembering Columbia

Tuesday, February 1, 2011: During the STS-107 mission, the crew appears to fly toward the camera in a group photo aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. On the bottom row (L to R) are astronauts Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Rick D. Husband, mission commander; Laurel B. Clark, mission specialist; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. In the top row (L to R) are astronauts David M. Brown, mission specialist; William C. McCool, pilot; and Michael P. Anderson, payload commander. On February 1, 2003, during re-entry, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over northern Texas with all seven crewmembers aboard. This picture survived on a roll of unprocessed film recovered by searchers from the debris.

Columbia Launches on STS-107 Mission

Space shuttle Columbia launches on mission STS-107, January 16, 2003.

AMOS Image of Shuttle Columbia in Orbit

This image of the Space Shuttle Columbia in orbit during mission STS-107 was taken by the U.S. Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS) on Jan. 28, four days before Columbia's reentry, as the spacecraft flew above the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands.

Shuttle Flight Control Room as Contact with Columbia Is Lost

An overall view of the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). At the time this photo was taken, flight controllers had just lost contact with the Space Shuttle Columbia.

AMOS Angled Image of Shuttle Columbia in Orbit

This image of the Space Shuttle Columbia in orbit during mission STS-107 was taken by the U.S. Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS) on Jan. 28, four days before Columbia's reentry, as the spacecraft flew above the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands.

Columbia as Imaged from Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

This image is a view of the underside of Columbia during its entry from mission STS-107 on Feb. 1, 2003, as it passed by the Starfire Optical Range, Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The image was taken at approximately 7:57 a.m. CST. This image was received by NASA as part of the Columbia accident investigation and is being analyzed.

Columbia Debris Display at NASA Promotes Safety

An overview of the Columbia debris reconstruction hangar in 2003 shows the orbiter outline on the floor with some of the 78,760 pieces identified to that date. More than 84,000 pieces of shuttle debris were recovered, some of which is included in a traveling NASA display to stress safety.

Picking Up the Pieces: Solving the Columbia Mystery

Debris from Columbia is examined by workers at the Kennedy Space Center on April 14, 2003.

Smithsonian Considers Displaying Shuttle Accident Debris

The National Air and Space Museum is considering the display of debris from space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

George W. Bush (2001-2009)

President George W. Bush issued his own space policy statement in 2006, which further encouraged private enterprise in space.

Columbia STS-107 Launch Artwork

Lloyd Behrendt recreated Columbia's STS-107 launch in this work, titled "Sacriflight."