As billows of smoke and steam roll across the landscape, the launch of space shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107 is reflected in nearby water. Following a flawless and uneventful countdown, liftoff occurred at 10:39 a.m. EST. The 16-day research mission was the 28th flight of the orbiter Columbia.
As billows of smoke and steam roll across the landscape, the launch of space shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107 is reflected in nearby water. Following a flawless and uneventful countdown, liftoff occurred at 10:39 a.m. EST. The 16-day research mission was the 28th flight of the orbiter Columbia and the 113th flight overall in NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.
Columbia and the STS-107 crew were lost over east Texas during the landing descent to Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 1, 2003, approximately 16 minutes before landing.Image credit: Courtesy of Scott Andrews
Jan. 16, 2003