The Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster The Columbia Disaster is one of the most tragic events in spaceflight history. This is the first time there has been an accident on landing in the 42 years of American space flight. Its impact on US human spaceflight program, and the resulting decision to discontinue the Space Shuttle Program, was so dramatic that to this date NASA has not recovered an autonomous human access to space. BBC News Channel Video duration 2:11 Space shuttle crew who never came back Jump to media player It's 15 years since disaster struck as the Columbia returned to Earth following a research mission. Pictures courtesy of Nasa.

For the seven astronauts it was a day of a lifetime’s dreams fulfilled. But Russia said a planned launch of a cargo vessel to serve the International Space Station will go ahead on Sunday. Nasa suffered its second in-flight fatal disaster when the space shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry on 1 February 2003. It was restored by the BBC in 2014.

In 2003 seven astronauts died when Space Shuttle Columbia burnt up on re-entry after similar damage to its heat-resistant tiles. Space shuttle Columbia makes first return landing. The US space shuttle Columbia broke up on its way back to Earth on February 1, 2003. US President George W Bush paid tribute to the seven astronauts who died on board the craft. ... John Glenn at the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster funeral — Letter from America by Alistair Cooke. 2003: Columbia shuttle disintegrates killing seven The US space shuttle Columbia has broken up as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere killing all seven astronauts on board. Seven astronauts lost their lives when the shuttle broke up on re-entry. Worms survived Columbia disaster The C. elegans worm: The animal to have its genetic code laid bare Hundreds of worms that were part of an experiment aboard the doomed space shuttle Columbia have been found alive in debris recovered from the crash site, US space … Sensor malfunction. "They have been with each family since the mission began and are trying to help them cope with this terrible tragedy," a Nasa official told the BBC. Nasa has assigned a former astronaut to the family of each crew member to provide support. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Nasa said it did not yet know what caused the break-up of the shuttle 40 miles (65 kilometres) above the Earth. On this day 15 years ago, Space Shuttle Columbia was returning to Earth after a 16-day research mission. NARRATOR: On the 16th January 2003 the crew of the space shuttle Columbia waved goodbye to their families for the final time. The Columbia disaster was the second tragedy in the history of the space shuttle program, after the space shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after launch in …

BBC News reports on the 2003 space shuttle Columbia disaster. BBC News Channel Video duration 2:11 Space shuttle crew who never came back Jump to media player It's 15 years since disaster struck as the Columbia returned to Earth following a research mission. The Columbia space shuttle disaster. The BBC's Matt Frei reports. Columbia, which first flew in 1981, was the oldest craft in Nasa's space shuttle programme. The future of the shuttle programme - and of Nasa's manned space exploration - remains unclear. Space shuttle crew who never came back Jump to media player It's 15 years since disaster struck as the Columbia returned to Earth following a research mission. The craft broke up soon after re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew on board.