STS-107

STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. The seven-member crew was killed on February 1, 2003, when the shuttle disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The cause for the accident was a piece of foam that broke off during launch and smashed a hole in the left wing. During reentry the damaged wing slowly overheated and came apart, eventually leading to loss of control and total disintegration of the vehicle. (For more on the accident, see Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.)

The mission of the STS-107

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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.

Related Topics:
Microgravity - Earth - Science - Research - Orbit

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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) http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6897

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On board the Columbia was a picture by fourteen year old Petr Ginz, the editor-in-chief of the magazine Vedem, who depicted what he imagined the Earth looked like from the Moon, while he was a prisoner in the Terezín Ghetto. The picture was destroyed in the disaster.

Related Topics:
Petr Ginz - Vedem - Terezín

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