![]() "With greater international cooperation and maintaining of the International Space Station (ISS), the number of manned spaceflights and days spent in space has constantly increased," wrote the researchers, adding that there had been "constantly lower rates of incidents and accidents." The study authors calculated a total fatality rate (deaths per spaceflight) of 5.8% up to the paper's publication in 2022. The lowest was in the 1990s and that "since 2003, no astronaut fatality has been reported." Those missions were a huge success for space exploration overall, but they were also marked by technical difficulties and tragedy.Ī 2022 research paper noted that the highest fatality rate in spaceflight was in the 1960s. The story and investigation into the 2003 Columbia space shuttle accident illustrates how dangerous and difficult spaceflight was - and is to this day.Īt the time, the CAIB described spaceflight as being in a "developmental" phase - and that was 30 years after the Apollo moon missions. The Columbia Space Shuttle broke up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere and it could be seen from the ground Image: Scott Lieberman/AP Photo/picture alliance Spaceflight is still difficult and dangerous Then as the spaceship disintegrated, their now unprotected bodies would have been exposed to extreme heat due to atmospheric friction.Īnd, finally, there was the impact on the ground. But it could also be seen, as it happened above people's heads in the sky. ![]() They were likely also exposed to severe physical trauma when the spaceship started spinning rapidly. It is unclear whether that depressurization was their cause of death. The astronauts onboard the Columbia shuttle probably experienced a rapid depressurization due to the breakup about a minute and thirty seconds after the final words of the crew were transmitted to mission control. The investigators found debris scattered on the ground. Ultimately, that had caused the orbiter to breakup during its re-entry and descent to Earth. That damage had then allowed "superheated air" to melt the orbiter's aluminum structure. The CAIB concluded that when the foam broke off during launch, it "breached" or damaged an outer thermal protection system. ![]() Fate of the astronautsĪfter the accident, a team of investigators known as the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) looked into what had happened. The crew was notified about the debris strike via an email from mission control, but was assured that the "same phenomenon on several other flights" and that there was "absolutely no concern" about its affecting their re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.īut when the Columbia shuttle began its descent back to Earth after roughly two weeks in space, the decision to do nothing proved to be wrong - and fatal. But a decision was made to continue with the mission without fixing the damage or evacuating the astronauts. Crew of Columbia mission STS-107 (left to right): Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, William "Willie" McCool, Rick Husband, David Brown, Ilan Ramon and Michael Anderson Image: NASA/Getty Images Failure of damage assessmentīy the second day of the mission, NASA had discovered what had happened. And that bit of foam had hit the wing of the orbiter. A piece of foam - used to insulate the shuttle's super-cold fuel - had broken off from a booster rocket during the launch from Earth. It launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on January 16, 2003.īut right from the start, things had gone wrong. The shuttle or orbiter, as it was also known, was a white, plane-shaped spacecraft that became symbolic of NASA's space program, and more generally, space exploration in the late 1970s and 80s.įrom 1981 to 2003, Columbia flew 28 times, including that fateful, final mission.Ĭolumbia STS-107 was a routine mission to conduct scientific experiments in space. A vehicle of explorationĬolumbia was the American space agency NASA's first active space shuttle. But that warning was not displayed to the crew.Īnd within minutes, Columbia's return to Earth turned to disaster, leaving the crew of seven to perish. ![]() The wing was higher than it should have been. eastern time in the US, a sensor on the shuttle had reported a strain on the spacecraft's left wing. There are no survivors."Ī few hours earlier, just before 8:50 a.m. "My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country," he said, "the Columbia is lost. It was the second time during his still young presidency that Bush had had to break bad news to the nation. What Bush had to say said would shake America and, indeed, the entire world. Bush went live on television to address to the American public. On the morning of February 1, 2003, US President George W. ![]()
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