| Columbia | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Columbia landing at Kennedy on March 18, 1994, at the conclusion of STS-62 | |
| Type | Spaceplane |
| Class | Space Shuttle orbiter |
| Eponym | |
| Serialno. | OV-102 |
| Owner | NASA |
| Manufacturer | Rockwell International |
| Specifications | |
| Dry mass | 81,600 kg (179,900 lb) |
| Rocket | Space Shuttle |
| History | |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight |
|
| Flights | 28 |
| Flight time | 7,218 hours[3] |
| Traveled | 201,497,772 km (125,204,911 mi) aroundEarth |
| Orbits | 4,808 around Earth |
| Fate | Disintegrated during re-entry |
| Space Shuttle orbiters | |
Space ShuttleColumbia (OV-102) was aSpace Shuttle orbiter manufactured byRockwell International and operated byNASA. Named after thefirst American ship to circumnavigate the globe, and thefemale personification of the United States,Columbia was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting theSpace Shuttle launch vehicle onits maiden flight on April 12, 1981 and becoming the first spacecraft to be re-used after its first flight when it launched onSTS-2 on November 12, 1981. As only the second full-scale orbiter to be manufactured after theApproach and Landing Test vehicleEnterprise,Columbia retained unique external and internal features compared with later orbiters, such as test instrumentation and distinctive blackchines. In addition to a heavier aft fuselage and the retention of an internalairlock throughout its lifetime, these madeColumbia the heaviest of the five spacefaring orbiters: around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) heavier thanChallenger and 3,600 kilograms (7,900 pounds) heavier thanEndeavour when originally constructed.Columbia also carriedejection seats based on those from theSR-71 during its first six flights until 1983, and from 1986 onwards carried an imaging pod on itsvertical stabilizer.
During its 22 years of operation,Columbia was flown on 28 missions in theSpace Shuttle program, spending over 300 days in space and completing over 4,000 orbits around Earth. NASA's flagship orbiter,Columbia often flew flights dedicated to scientific research in orbit following theloss ofChallenger in 1986.Columbia was used for eleven of the fifteen flights ofSpacelab laboratories, all four United States Microgravity Payload missions, and the only flight ofSpacehab'sResearch Double Module.Columbia flew many of the longest duration space shuttle missions, all dedicated to scientific research. The only space shuttle that could rivalColumbia's long missions wasEndeavour, which flew theSTS-67 mission that lasted for nearly 17 days. In 1992, NASA modifiedColumbia to be able to fly some of the longest missions in the Shuttle Program history using theExtended Duration Orbiter pallet. The orbiter used the pallet in thirteen of the pallet's fourteen flights, which aided lengthy stays in orbit for scientific and technological research missions. The longest duration flight of the Shuttle Program,STS-80, was flown withColumbia in 1996, at over 17 days in orbit.Columbia was also used to deploy the first ever satellites into orbit by the Shuttle onSTS-5, retrieve theLong Duration Exposure Facility and deploy theChandra observatory, which was the heaviest payload ever carried by the Space Shuttle.Columbia also carried into space thefirst female commander of an American spaceflight mission, thefirst ESA astronaut, thefirst female astronaut of Indian origin, and thefirst Israeli astronaut.
At the end of its final flight in February 2003,Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, killing the seven-member crew ofSTS-107 and destroying most of the scientific payloads aboard. TheColumbia Accident Investigation Board convened shortly afterwards concluded that damage sustained to the orbiter's left wing during the launch of STS-107 fatally compromised the vehicle'sthermal protection system. The loss ofColumbia and its crew led to a refocusing of NASA's human exploration programs and led to the establishment of theConstellation program in 2005 and the eventualretirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Numerous memorials and dedications were made to honor the crew following the disaster; theColumbia Memorial Space Center was opened as a national memorial for the accident, and theColumbia Hills inMars'Gusev crater, which theSpirit rover explored, were named after the crew. The majority ofColumbia's recovered remains are stored at theKennedy Space Center'sVehicle Assembly Building, though some pieces are on public display at the nearbyVisitor Complex.
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Construction began onColumbia in 1975 atRockwell International's (formerlyNorth American Aviation/North American Rockwell) principal assembly facility inPalmdale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.Columbia was named after the AmericansloopColumbia Rediviva which, from 1787 to 1793, under the command ofCaptain Robert Gray, explored the US Pacific Northwest and became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. It is also named after thecommand module ofApollo 11, the first crewed landing on another celestial body.[2]Columbia was also thefemale symbol of theUnited States. After construction, the orbiter arrived atKennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first launch.Columbia was originally scheduled to lift off in late 1979, however the launch date was delayed by problems with both theRS-25 engine and thethermal protection system (TPS).[4] On March 19, 1981, during preparations for a ground test,workers were asphyxiated in Columbia'snitrogen-purged aft engine compartment, resulting in (variously reported) two or three fatalities.[5][6]
The first flight ofColumbia (STS-1) was commanded byJohn Young, a veteran from theGemini and Apollo programs who in 1972 had been theninth person to walk on the Moon; and piloted byRobert Crippen, a rookie astronaut originally selected to fly on the military'sManned Orbital Laboratory (MOL) spacecraft, but transferred to NASA after its cancellation, and served as a support crew member for theSkylab andApollo-Soyuz missions.
Columbia spent 610 days in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), another 35 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), and 105 days on Pad 39A before finally lifting off.[4] It was successfully launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of the firsthuman spaceflight (Vostok 1), and returned on April 14, 1981, after orbiting the Earth 36 times, landing on the dry lakebed runway atEdwards Air Force Base in California. It then undertook three further research missions to test its technical characteristics and performance. Its first operational mission, with a four-man crew, wasSTS-5, which launched on November 11, 1982. At this pointColumbia was joined byChallenger, which flew the next three shuttle missions, whileColumbia underwent modifications for the firstSpacelab mission.
In 1983,Columbia, under the command of John Young on what was his sixth spaceflight, undertook its second operational mission (STS-9), in which the Spacelab science laboratory and a six-person crew was carried, including the first non-American astronaut on a space shuttle,Ulf Merbold. After the flight, it spent 18 months at the Rockwell Palmdale facility beginning in January 1984, undergoing modifications that removed the Orbiter Flight Test hardware and updating it to similar specifications as those of its sister orbiters. At that time the shuttle fleet was expanded to includeDiscovery andAtlantis.
Columbia returned to space on January 12, 1986, with the launch ofSTS-61-C. The mission's crew includedFranklin Chang-Diaz, and the first sitting member of theHouse of Representatives to venture into space,Bill Nelson.
The next shuttle mission,STS-51-L, was undertaken byChallenger. It was launched on January 28, 1986, ten days after STS-61-C had landed, andended in disaster 73 seconds after launch. Prior to the accident,Columbia had been slated to be ferried toVandenberg Air Force Base to conduct fueling tests and to perform a flight readiness firing atSLC-6 to validate the west coast launch site. In the aftermath, NASA's shuttle timetable was disrupted, and the Vandenberg tests, which would have cost $60 million, were canceled.Columbia was not flown again until 1989 (onSTS-28), after which it resumed normal service as part of the shuttle fleet.
STS-93, launched on July 23, 1999, was the first U.S. space mission with a female commander, Lt. Col.Eileen Collins. This mission deployed theChandra X-ray Observatory.
Columbia's final complete mission wasSTS-109, the fourth servicing mission for theHubble Space Telescope. Its next mission,STS-107, culminated in theorbiter's loss when it disintegrated during reentry, killing all seven of its crew.
Consequently, PresidentGeorge W. Bush decided to retire the Shuttle orbiter fleet by 2010 in favor of theConstellation program and its crewedOrion spacecraft. The Constellation program was later canceled with theNASA Authorization Act of 2010 signed by PresidentBarack Obama on October 11.
| Date | Milestone[8] |
|---|---|
| July 26, 1972 | Contract Awarded to North American Rockwell |
| March 25, 1975 | Start long-lead fabrication aft fuselage |
| November 17, 1975 | Start long-lead fabrication of crew module |
| June 28, 1976 | Start assembly of crew module |
| September 13, 1976 | Start structural assembly of aft fuselage |
| December 13, 1977 | Start assembly upper forward fuselage |
| January 3, 1977 | Start assembly vertical stabilizer |
| August 26, 1977 | Wings arrive at Palmdale from Grumman |
| October 28, 1977 | Lower forward fuselage on dock, Palmdale |
| November 7, 1977 | Start of Final Assembly |
| February 24, 1978 | Body flap on dock, Palmdale |
| April 28, 1978 | Forward payload bay doors on dock, Palmdale |
| May 26, 1978 | Upper forward fuselage mate |
| July 7, 1978 | Complete mate forward and aft payload bay doors |
| September 11, 1978 | Complete forward RCS |
| February 3, 1979 | Complete combined systems test, Palmdale |
| February 16, 1979 | Airlock on dock, Palmdale |
| March 5, 1979 | Complete postcheckout |
| March 8, 1979 | Closeout inspection, Final Acceptance Palmdale |
| March 8, 1979 | Rollout from Palmdale to Dryden |
| March 12, 1979 | Overland transport from Palmdale to Edwards |
| March 20, 1979 | SCA Ferry Flight from DFRC to Biggs AFB, Texas |
| March 22, 1979 | SCA Ferry flight from Biggs AFB to Kelly AFB, Texas |
| March 24, 1979 | SCA Ferry flight from Kelly AFB to Eglin AFB, Florida |
| March 24, 1979 | SCA Ferry flight from Eglin, AFB to KSC |
| November 3, 1979 | Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire tests, OPF KSC |
| December 16, 1979 | Orbiter integrated test start, KSC |
| January 14, 1980 | Orbiter integrated test complete, KSC |
| February 20, 1981 | Flight Readiness Firing |
| April 12, 1981 | First Flight (STS-1) |
As the second orbiter to be constructed and the first able to fly into space,Columbia was roughly 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) heavier than subsequent orbiters such asEndeavour when she was first constructed, which had benefited from advances in materials technology.[9] In part, this was due to heavier wing and fuselage spars, the weight of early test instrumentation that remained fitted to the avionics suite, and an internal airlock that, originally fitted into the other orbiters, was later removed in favor of an external airlock to facilitate Shuttle/Mir and Shuttle/International Space Station dockings.[10].Columbia was not modified for the plannedCentaur-G booster (canceled after the loss ofChallenger).[11] The retention of the internal airlock allowed NASA to useColumbia for theSTS-109Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, along with theSpacehab double module used onSTS-107.[citation needed] Due toColumbia's higher weight, it was less ideal for NASA to use it for missions to the International Space Station due the performance decreases needed to carry the heavy payloads to the high inclination orbit, though modifications were made to the Shuttle during its last refit in case the spacecraft was needed for such tasks.
Externally,Columbia was the first orbiter in the fleet whose surface was mostly covered with High & Low Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI/LRSI) tiles as its mainthermal protection system (TPS), with white silicone rubber-paintedNomex – known as Felt Reusable Surface Insulation (FRSI) blankets – in some areas on the wings, fuselage, and payload bay doors. FRSI once covered almost 25% of the orbiter; the first upgrade resulted in its removal from many areas, and in later flights, it was only used on the upper section of the payload bay doors and inboard sections of the upper wing surfaces.[12] The upgrade also involved replacing many of the white LRSI tiles on the upper surfaces with Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) blankets (also known as Fibrous Insulation Blankets, or FIBs) that had been used onDiscovery andAtlantis.[13]
Originally,Columbia had 32,000 tiles – the upgrade reduced this to 24,300. The AFRSI blankets consisted of layers of pure silica felt sandwiched between a layer of silica fabric on the outside and S-Glass fabric on the inside, stitched together using pure silica thread in a 1-inch grid, then coated with a high-purity silica coating. The blankets were semi-rigid and could be made as large as 30" by 30". Each blanket replaced as many as 25 tiles and was bonded directly to the orbiter.[12] The direct application of the blankets to the orbiter resulted in weight reduction, improved durability, reduced fabrication, and installation cost, and reduced installation schedule time.[14] All of this work was performed duringColumbia's first retrofitting and the post-Challenger stand-down.
Though the orbiter's thermal protection system and other enhancements had been refined,Columbia would never weigh as little unloaded as the other orbiters in the fleet. The next-oldest shuttle,Challenger, was also relatively heavy, although 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) lighter thanColumbia.
Columbia was the only operational orbiter with blackchines. These were added because at first, shuttle designers did not know how reentry heating would affect the craft's upper wing surfaces.[citation needed] The chines allowedColumbia to be easily recognized at a distance, unlike the subsequent orbiters. The black chines were a late modification and were a high temperature paint over the white FRSI. The chines were modified onColumbia shortly before rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building in late 1980 for STS-1. The only other orbiter with black chines wasPathfinder,[15] but it was a cosmetictest article and only gained them when it was refurbished.
Additionally, until its last refit,Columbia was the only operational orbiter with wing markings consisting of anAmerican flag on the port (left) wing and the letters "USA" on the starboard (right) wing.Challenger,Discovery,Atlantis, andEndeavour all, until 1998, bore markings consisting of the letters "USA" above an American flag on the left-wing, and the pre-1998NASA "worm" logotype afore the respective orbiter's name on the right-wing.Enterprise, the test vehicle which was the prototype forColumbia, originally had the same wing markings asColumbia but with white chines and the "USA" letters on the right-wing spaced closer together.Enterprise's markings were modified to matchChallenger in 1983. The name of the orbiter was originally placed on the payload bay doors much likeEnterprise but was placed on the crew cabin after theChallenger disaster so that the orbiter could be easily identified while in orbit.
From its last refit following the conclusion of STS-93 to its destruction,Columbia bore markings identical to those of its operational sister orbiters–theNASA "meatball" insignia on the left-wing and the American flag afore the orbiter's name on the right-wing.Columbia only flew twice with these markings, STS-109 and STS-107.
Another unique external feature, termed the "SILTS" pod (Shuttle Infrared Leeside Temperature Sensing),[16] was located on the top ofColumbia's vertical stabilizer, and was installed afterSTS-9 to acquire infrared and other thermal data. Though the pod's equipment was removed after initial tests, NASA decided to leave it in place, mainly to save costs, along with the agency's plans to use it for future experiments. The vertical stabilizer was later modified to incorporate the drag chute first used onEndeavour in 1992.
One unique feature that permanently stayed onColumbia fromSTS-1 toSTS-107 was the OEX (Orbiter Experiments) box or MADS (Modular Auxiliary Data System) recorder. On March 19, 2003, this "black box" was found slightly damaged but fully intact by theU.S. Forest Service inSan Augustine County inTexas after weeks of search and recovery efforts after theSpace Shuttle Columbia disaster. The OEX/MADS was not designed to survive a catastrophic loss like an airplaneblack box.[17][18]
Columbia was originally fitted withLockheed-built ejection seats identical to those found on theSR-71 Blackbird. These were active for the four orbital test flights, but deactivated afterSTS-4, and removed entirely afterSTS-9.Columbia was the only spaceworthy orbiter not delivered withhead-up displays for the Commander and Pilot, although these were incorporated after STS-9. Like its sister ships,Columbia was eventually retrofitted with the new MEDS "glass cockpit" display and lightweight seats.
HadColumbia not been destroyed, it would have been fitted with theexternal airlock/docking adapter forSTS-118, anInternational Space Station assembly mission, originally planned for November 2003.Columbia was scheduled for this mission due toDiscovery being out of service for its Orbital Major Modification, and because the ISS assembly schedule could not be adhered to with onlyEndeavour andAtlantis.
Columbia's career would have started to wind down afterSTS-118. It was to service theHubble Space Telescope two more times between 2004 and 2005. Following theColumbia accident, NASA flew theSTS-125 mission usingAtlantis, combining the planned fourth and fifth servicing missions into one final mission to Hubble. Because of the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet, the batteries and gyroscopes that keep the telescope pointed will eventually fail, which would result in its reentry and breakup in Earth's atmosphere. A "Soft Capture Docking Mechanism", based on the docking adapter that was to be used on theOrion spacecraft, was installed during the last servicing mission in anticipation of this event.
Columbia flew 28 missions, gathering 300.74 days spent in space with 4,808 orbits and a total distance of 125,204,911.5 miles (201,497,773.1 km) until STS-107.
Though having been in service during theShuttle-Mir andInternational Space Station programs,Columbia did not fly any missions that visited a space station. The other three active orbiters at the time had visited bothMir and theISS at least once.Columbia was built according to a heavier earlier design with a reduced payload for ISS missions, so it was decided not to install a Space Station docking system. This made room for longer science modules such asSpacelab and theSpacehab Research Double Module, soColumbia was used instead for science missions and forHubble Space Telescope service.[19]
| # | Date | Designation | Launch pad | Landing location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 12, 1981 | STS-1 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 23 | First shuttle mission. |
| 2 | November 12, 1981 | STS-2 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 23 | First re-use of a space vehicle. |
| 3 | March 22, 1982 | STS-3 | LC-39A | White Sands, Runway 17 | First mission with an unpaintedexternal tank. First and only space shuttle landing at White Sands. |
| 4 | June 27, 1982 | STS-4 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 22 | Last shuttle R&D flight |
| 5 | November 11, 1982 | STS-5 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 22 | First four-person crew, first deployment of commercial satellite. |
| 6 | November 28, 1983 | STS-9 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 17 | First six-person crew, firstSpacelab. |
| 7 | January 12, 1986 | STS-61-C | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 22 | Rep.Bill Nelson (D-FL) on board the final successful shuttle flight before theChallenger disaster |
| 8 | August 8, 1989 | STS-28 | LC-39B | Edwards, Runway 17 | LaunchedKH-11reconnaissance satellite; first launch ofColumbia from Launch Complex 39-B |
| 9 | January 9, 1990 | STS-32 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 22 | RetrievedLong Duration Exposure Facility |
| 10 | December 2, 1990 | STS-35 | LC-39B | Edwards, Runway 22 | Carried multipleX-ray andUVtelescopes |
| 11 | June 5, 1991 | STS-40 | LC-39B | Edwards, Runway 22 | 5thSpacelab – Life Sciences-1 |
| 12 | June 25, 1992 | STS-50 | LC-39A | Kennedy,Runway 33 | U.S.Microgravity Laboratory 1 (USML-1) |
| 13 | October 22, 1992 | STS-52 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Deployed Laser Geodynamic Satellite II |
| 14 | April 26, 1993 | STS-55 | LC-39A | Edwards, Runway 22 | German Spacelab D-2 Microgravity Research |
| 15 | October 18, 1993 | STS-58 | LC-39B | Edwards, Runway 22 | Spacelab Life Sciences |
| 16 | March 4, 1994 | STS-62 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | United States Microgravity Payload-2 (USMP-2) |
| 17 | July 8, 1994 | STS-65 | LC-39A | Kennedy,Runway 33 | International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) |
| 18 | October 20, 1995 | STS-73 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) |
| 19 | February 22, 1996 | STS-75 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Tethered Satellite System Reflight (TSS-1R) |
| 20 | June 20, 1996 | STS-78 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) |
| 21 | November 19, 1996 | STS-80 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Third flight ofWake Shield Facility (WSF) and longest Shuttle flight |
| 22 | April 4, 1997 | STS-83 | LC-39A | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL), cut short |
| 23 | July 1, 1997 | STS-94 | LC-39A | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL), reflight |
| 24 | November 19, 1997 | STS-87 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4) |
| 25 | April 13, 1998 | STS-90 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Neurolab – Spacelab |
| 26 | July 23, 1999 | STS-93 | LC-39B | Kennedy,Runway 33 | DeployedChandra X-ray Observatory; first female Shuttle CommanderEileen Collins; last launch ofColumbia from Launch Complex 39-B |
| 27 | March 1, 2002 | STS-109 | LC-39A | Kennedy,Runway 33 | Hubble Space Telescope service mission (HSM-3B) |
| 28 | January 16, 2003 | STS-107 | LC-39A | Did not land (Planned to land atKennedy,Runway 33) | A multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission.Shuttle destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003, and all seven astronauts on board killed. |
* Mission canceled following theChallenger disaster.
** Mission flown byEndeavour due to loss ofColumbia onSTS-107.
Columbia disintegrated on February 1, 2003, around 09:00EST during atmospheric re-entry after a16-day scientific mission. TheColumbia Accident Investigation Board has determined that one ofColumbia's wings, made of a carboncomposite, had been punctured 16 days earlier. A hole had formed when the external fuel tank shed material that peeled off during the launch, and struck the shuttle's left wing. During the intense heat of re-entry, hot gases penetrated the interior of the wing. The likely result was a compromise of the hydraulic system, leading to failure of the linkage to control surfaces. The resulting loss of control would have exposed minimally protected areas of the orbiter to full-entry heating and dynamic pressures that ultimately led to break up of the entire spacecraft.[21]
The report delved deeply into the underlying organizational and cultural issues the board believed contributed to the accident. The report was highly critical of NASA's decision-making and risk-assessment processes. Further, the report outlined several potential options for saving the crew which NASA had not considered during the mission, such as a potential rescue with the shuttleAtlantis (then being prepped for launch for STS-114), or in-flight repairs for the damaged wing.[22] The nearly 84,000 pieces of collected debris of the vessel are stored in a large room on the 16th-floor of theVehicle Assembly Building at theKennedy Space Center. The collection was opened to the media once and has since been open only to researchers.[23][24] UnlikeChallenger, for which areplacement orbiter was built,Columbia was not replaced.
The seven crew members who died aboard this final mission were:Rick Husband, Commander;William C. McCool, Pilot;Michael P. Anderson, Payload Commander/Mission Specialist 3;David M. Brown, Mission Specialist 1;Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2;Laurel Clark, Mission Specialist 4; andIlan Ramon, Payload Specialist 1.[25]
The debris field encompassed hundreds of miles acrossTexas extending intoLouisiana andArkansas. The nose cap and remains of all seven crew members were found inSabine County,East Texas.[citation needed] The Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum "Remembering Columbia" was opened inHemphill, Sabine County. The museum documentsColumbia explorations throughout all its missions, including the final STS-107. Its exhibits also show the efforts of local citizens during the recovery period of theColumbia shuttle debris and its crew's remains. An area is dedicated to each STS-107 crew member, and also to the Texas Forest Service helicopter pilot who died in the recovery effort. The museum houses many objects and artifacts from NASA and its contractors, the families of the STS-107 crew and other individuals. The crew's families contributed personal items of the crew members to be on permanent display. The museum features two interactive simulator displays that emulate activities of the shuttle and orbiter, and the digital learning center and its classroom provide educational opportunities.[26]
TheColumbia Memorial Space Center is the U.S. national memorial for the Space ShuttleColumbia's seven crew members. It is located inDowney, California on the site of the Space Shuttle's origin and production, the formerNorth American Aviation plant in Los Angeles County, California. The facility is also a hands-on learning center with interactive exhibits, workshops, and classes aboutspace science,astronautics, and the Space Shuttle program's legacy—providing educational opportunities for all ages.[27]
The Shuttle's final crew was honored in 2003 when theUnited States Board on Geographic Names approved the nameColumbia Point for a 13,980-foot (4,260 m) mountain in Colorado'sSangre de Cristo Mountains, less than a half-mile fromChallenger Point, a peak named after America's other lost Space Shuttle. TheColumbia Hills onMars were also named in honor of the crew, and a host ofother memorials were dedicated in various forms.
TheColumbia supercomputer at theNASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division located atAmes Research Center in California was named in honor of the crew lost in the 2003 disaster. Built as a joint effort between NASA and technical partnersSGI andIntel in 2004, the supercomputer was used in scientific research of space, the Earth's climate, and aerodynamic design of space launch vehicles and aircraft.[28] The first part of the system, built in 2003, was dedicated to STS-107 astronaut and engineer Kalpana Chawla, who prior to joining the Space Shuttle program worked at Ames Research Center.[29]
A female bald eagle at theNational Eagle Center inWabasha, Minnesota is named in tribute to the victims of the disaster.
A refurbishedColumbia features prominently in a 1999 episode ofCowboy Bebop, being used to rescue series protagonistSpike from burning up in Earth's atmosphere after his ship runs out of fuel.Columbia is depicted taking off horizontally with the aid of small boosters mounted near its nose. After capturing the stray craft in its cargo bay,Columbia encounters trouble on its return to Earth, including a failure of the heat shielding, finally crash landing in a desert with its occupants unharmed. Following the real-world disaster,Adult Swim temporarily removed the episode from its rotation.[30]
In response to the loss ofColumbia, guitaristSteve Morse of the rock bandDeep Purple wrote the instrumental "Contact Lost", which was featured as the closing track on their 2003 albumBananas. It was dedicated to the astronauts who died in the disaster, and Morse's songwriting royalties were donated to the families of the lost astronauts.[31] Astronaut and mission specialist engineerKalpana Chawla, one of the victims of the accident, was a fan of Deep Purple and had exchanged e-mails with the band during the flight, making the tragedy even more personal for the group.[31] She took three CDs into space with her, two of which were Deep Purple albumsMachine Head andPurpendicular. Both CDs survived the destruction of the shuttle and the 39-mile plunge.[32]
Several songs in popular music give minor tribute toColumbia, and some are dedicated. TheEric Johnson instrumental "Columbia" from his 2005 albumBloom was written as a commemoration and tribute to the lives that were lost. Johnson said "I wanted to make it more of a positive message, a salute, a celebration rather than just concentrating on a few moments of tragedy, but instead the bigger picture of these brave people's lives."[33] The Canadian Band Rush made a song 'Countdown' on their album 'Signals' which is about the first Space Shuttle launch by Columbia.[34] The Scottish bandRunrig pays tribute to Clark on the 2016 albumThe Story. The final track, "Somewhere," ends with a recording of her voice.[35] Clark was a Runrig fan and had a wake up call with Runrig's "Running to the Light". She tookThe Stamping Ground CD into space with her. When the shuttle broke up, the CD was found back on Earth and was presented to the band by her family.
TheColumbia appears as an exhibit within the Pewter City Museum inPokémon Red andBlue.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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