February 1st is the four-year anniversary of Shuttle Columbia’s breakup over Texas. Seven astronauts lost their lives returning from a 16-day science mission, STS-107. NewsFromSpace was covering the landing as it happened.
The cause of the accident was later determined to be a hole in the leading edge of the left wing, which allowed a blast of superheated air to melt the underlying structure, ripping the orbiter apart as it was doing Mach 22 across the American South. The hole was caused by a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation coming loose from the external tank and striking the wing during liftoff.