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Description

It is February 1st, 2003.
She begins her journey home.
Carrying a precious cargo, seven courageous travelers.
The dreams of mankind entrust her with their survival.
It is a dangerous path, but she is unafraid.
Her body becomes enveloped in a blazing carapace.
Many times before, she has made this journey, and has always completed it.
But not this time.
The fates do not grant her safe passage.
They have decided her life shall end here.
They demand her surrender, but she is not one to abdicate.
She must protect them.
For It is her solemn duty, her purpose.
The intensity of the flames increased.
Yet she stayed, seeing that her presence brought a peace of mind to those aboard her.
Like a mother hen draping her protective wings over her fragile chicks.
She knows she can’t defy the inexorable, but she must try.
For them.
The flames grew hotter still.
She fights, fighting the drag, fighting her destiny.
Home growing closer in her sights, and yet farther away.
The flames pierce her carbon skin, the pain now overpowering.
She stayed as the atmosphere incinerated her.
She stayed protecting her children.
Embracing them closer than she ever had before.
Until, she can shield them no longer.
The angel has been clipped of her wings.
Her ashes are showered upon the earth.
Now, the streaks of orange and yellow have long since been erased from the sky.
And yet, if you know where to look, there you’ll see that she stayed as she sleeps.
With her children safely tucked gently under her wings.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
20 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated while passing through the Karman line that separates the earth’s atmosphere from space, resulting in the deaths of her seven crewmembers. They were 16 minutes from a scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle’s remains were scattered all over central Texas and several neighboring states. In the weeks following the tragedy, NASA formed the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to locate the root cause of what happened. They discovered that during launch, a piece of foam had broken off the front bipod ramp on the external fuel tank, and impacted the leading edge of the shuttle’s left wing, piercing a hole in the reinforced carbon-carbon panels. While reviewing the footage, flight controllers noticed a puff of smoke emanating from the left wing, which was determined to be a foam strike. It was reported to NASA’s higher management, but was brushed off, seeing as how foam strikes had occurred in the past with no major consequences. Prior to incineration, Columbia began to break apart over California, and ultra-hot gasses had begun seeping into the left wing through the hole the foam had made on liftoff, reaching almost 3,000 degrees celsius. The extreme heat gradually melted Columbia’s aluminum airframe beneath the heat proof tiles. At mission control in Houston, Texas, hydraulics and tire pressure readings on the main landing gear had disappeared, preventing a safe landing. This was unfortunately largely ignored, as they knew it was typical for some of the shuttle’s sensors to cease during the reentry communications blackout. Memorial services were held across the country for the crew of seven, and the shuttle program was grounded for the foreseeable future.

May the crew of STS-107 soar forever in the heavens beyond.

Rick D. Husband
William “Willie” McCool
Michael P. Anderson
David M. Brown
Dr. Laurel Clark
Kalpana Chawla
Ilan Ramon
and last but not least, Columbia.
Seven souls, plus one.

Music Choice

Description

It is February 1st, 2003.
She begins her journey home.
Carrying a precious cargo, seven courageous travelers.
The dreams of mankind entrust her with their survival.
It is a dangerous path, but she is unafraid.
Her body becomes enveloped in a blazing carapace.
Many times before, she has made this journey, and has always completed it.
But not this time.
The fates do not grant her safe passage.
They have decided her life shall end here.
They demand her surrender, but she is not one to abdicate.
She must protect them.
For It is her solemn duty, her purpose.
The intensity of the flames increased.
Yet she stayed, seeing that her presence brought a peace of mind to those aboard her.
Like a mother hen draping her protective wings over her fragile chicks.
She knows she can’t defy the inexorable, but she must try.
For them.
The flames grew hotter still.
She fights, fighting the drag, fighting her destiny.
Home growing closer in her sights, and yet farther away.
The flames pierce her carbon skin, the pain now overpowering.
She stayed as the atmosphere incinerated her.
She stayed protecting her children.
Embracing them closer than she ever had before.
Until, she can shield them no longer.
The angel has been clipped of her wings.
Her ashes are showered upon the earth.
Now, the streaks of orange and yellow have long since been erased from the sky.
And yet, if you know where to look, there you’ll see that she stayed as she sleeps.
With her children safely tucked gently under her wings.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
20 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated while passing through the Karman line that separates the earth’s atmosphere from space, resulting in the deaths of her seven crewmembers. They were 16 minutes from a scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle’s remains were scattered all over central Texas and several neighboring states. In the weeks following the tragedy, NASA formed the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to locate the root cause of what happened. They discovered that during launch, a piece of foam had broken off the front bipod ramp on the external fuel tank, and impacted the leading edge of the shuttle’s left wing, piercing a hole in the reinforced carbon-carbon panels. While reviewing the footage, flight controllers noticed a puff of smoke emanating from the left wing, which was determined to be a foam strike. It was reported to NASA’s higher management, but was brushed off, seeing as how foam strikes had occurred in the past with no major consequences. Prior to incineration, Columbia began to break apart over California, and ultra-hot gasses had begun seeping into the left wing through the hole the foam had made on liftoff, reaching almost 3,000 degrees celsius. The extreme heat gradually melted Columbia’s aluminum airframe beneath the heat proof tiles. At mission control in Houston, Texas, hydraulics and tire pressure readings on the main landing gear had disappeared, preventing a safe landing. This was unfortunately largely ignored, as they knew it was typical for some of the shuttle’s sensors to cease during the reentry communications blackout. Memorial services were held across the country for the crew of seven, and the shuttle program was grounded for the foreseeable future.

May the crew of STS-107 soar forever in the heavens beyond.

Rick D. Husband
William “Willie” McCool
Michael P. Anderson
David M. Brown
Dr. Laurel Clark
Kalpana Chawla
Ilan Ramon
and last but not least, Columbia.
Seven souls, plus one.

Music Choice