The Lost of Space Shuttle "Columbia"

In the evening on 1st Feb., 2003 (Hong Kong time), the space shuttle "Columbia" of the United States of America disintegrated upon re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board were killed. It was the second serious shuttle disaster since the explosion of the "Challenger" in 1986.

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Preliminary investigation showed that the shuttle's left wing was hit by a piece of insulation foam falling from the external fuel tank. This might have undermined the structure of the wing and led to the disaster.

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"Columbia" was the first space shuttle commissioned by NASA. It had been in service for 22 years and flown 28 missions. It had undergone two major overhauls. Throughout its years of service, it had undertaken several important space missions and made significant contributions to science and technology for mankind.¡@

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We are displaying the models of the shuttle "Columbia" and its control cabin in the Hall of Space Science. Click here

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After the "Columbia" tragedy, missions for space shuttle may have to be postponed and the construction progress of the International Space Station will inevitably be affected. Before the United States resumes the launches of space shuttles, Russia has to bear the workload by deploying unmanned rockets for supplies and the"Soyuz"spacecraft for crew transfer.

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