The Tragically Sad Final Cockpit Recording of the Shuttle Columbia Accident
Chet Donnelly
Published
10/07/2022
in
feels
On February 1st, 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was the second of two fatal accidents in the Space Shuttle program, after the 1986 breakup of Challenger soon after liftoff.
During the STS-107 launch, a piece of the insulative foam broke off from the external tank and struck the thermal protection system tiles on the orbiter's left wing. When Columbia reentered the atmosphere of Earth, the damage allowed hot atmospheric gases to penetrate the heat shield and destroy the internal wing structure, which caused the orbiter to become unstable and break apart.
This is video and subtitled audio was the last tape from the cockpit crew on the fatal re-entry. Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 was lost on its 28th mission.
During the STS-107 launch, a piece of the insulative foam broke off from the external tank and struck the thermal protection system tiles on the orbiter's left wing. When Columbia reentered the atmosphere of Earth, the damage allowed hot atmospheric gases to penetrate the heat shield and destroy the internal wing structure, which caused the orbiter to become unstable and break apart.
This is video and subtitled audio was the last tape from the cockpit crew on the fatal re-entry. Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 was lost on its 28th mission.
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