STS-107

For more on the accident, see Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

STS-107
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	STS-107
Space shuttle	Columbia
Crew size	7
Launch pad	LC-39A
Launch date	16 January 2003 15:39:00 UTC
Landing	Catastrophic Failure – Shuttle disintegrated at re-entry due to damaged wing on 1 February 2003 at ~13:59:32 UTC. All seven astronauts lost.
Mission duration	15d 22h 20m 32s
Number of orbits	255
Orbital altitude	307 kilometres (191 mi)
Orbital inclination	39.0 degrees
Distance traveled	10,600,000 kilometres (6,600,000 mi)
Crew photo
Rear (L-R): David Brown, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon; Front (L-R): Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, William McCool
Related missions
Previous mission Subsequent mission STS-113 STS-114

STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched 16 January 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.

The seven-member crew died on 1 February 2003 when the shuttle disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The cause of the accident was determined to be a piece of foam that broke off during launch and damaged the thermal protection system components (reinforced carbon-carbon panels and thermal protection tiles) on the leading edge of the left wing of the Shuttle orbiter, causing an extensive heat build-up. During re-entry the damaged wing slowly overheated and came apart, eventually leading to loss of control and total disintegration of the vehicle.

Mission highlights

STS-107 carried the SPACEHAB Double Research Module on its inaugural flight, the Freestar experiment (mounted on a Hitchhiker Program rack), and the Extended Duration Orbiter pallet. SPACEHAB was first flown on STS 57.

One of the experiments, a video taken to study atmospheric dust, may have detected a new atmospheric phenomenon, dubbed a "TIGER" (Transient Ionospheric Glow Emission in Red).

On board the Columbia was a copy of a drawing by Petr Ginz, the editor-in-chief of the magazine Vedem, who depicted what he imagined the Earth looked like from the Moon when he was a 14-year-old prisoner in the Terezín concentration camp. The copy was in the possession of Ilan Ramon and was lost in the crash. Ilan Ramon also travelled with a dollar bill received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	Rick D. Husband Second spaceflight
Pilot	William C. McCool First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	David M. Brown First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	Kalpana Chawla Second spaceflight Flight Engineer
Payload Commander	Michael P. Anderson Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 4	Laurel B. Clark First spaceflight
Payload Specialist 1	Ilan Ramon , Israel First spaceflight

Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Orbiter Liftoff: 119,615 kilograms (263,710 lb)
  • Orbiter Landing: 105,593 kilograms (232,790 lb)
  • Payload: 14,553 kilograms (32,080 lb)
• Perigee: 270 kilometres (170 mi)
• Apogee: 285 kilometres (177 mi)
• Inclination: 39.0°
• Period: 90.1 min

Insignia

Launch of STS-107 from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Two panels with the names of the crew of STS-107.

STS-107 Robbins Medallion

The central element of the patch is the microgravity symbol, µg, flowing into the rays of the astronaut symbol.

The mission inclination is portrayed by the 39 degree angle of the astronaut symbol to the Earth's horizon. The sunrise is representative of the numerous experiments that are the dawn of a new era for continued microgravity research on the International Space Station and beyond. The breadth of science and the exploration of space is illustrated by the Earth and stars. The constellation Columba (the dove) was chosen to symbolize peace on Earth and the Space Shuttle Columbia. The seven stars also represent the mission crew members and honor the original astronauts who paved the way to make research in space possible. Six stars have five points, the seventh has six points like a Star of David, symbolizing the Israeli Space Agency's contributions to the mission.

An Israeli flag is adjacent to the name of Payload Specialist Ramon, who was the first Israeli in space. The crew insignia or 'patch' design was initiated by crew members Dr. Laurel Clark and Dr. Kalpana Chawla. First-time crew member Clark provided most of the design concepts as Chawla led the design of her maiden voyage STS-87 insignia. Clark also pointed out that the dove in the Columbia constellation was mythologically connected to the explorers 'The Argonauts' who released the dove.

See also

• List of space shuttle missions
• Space science
• Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

External links

• NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia & Her Crew
• NASA STS-107 Crew Memorial web page
• NASA's STS-107 Space Research Web Site
• Spaceflight Now: STS-107 Mission Report
• Science Reports
• Press Kit
• Article describing experiments which survived the disaster
• Article: Astronaut Laurel Clark from Racine, WI
• Status reports Detailed NASA status reports for each day of the mission.
• Raw Video Reconstruction of Re-entry, Tribute Videos, and More