Reconstructing The Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster - Learning Lessons From The Largest Crash Site

On February 1st 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during reentry killing all 7 crew. Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool,
Mission Specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chalwa and Michael Anderson
Payload Specialists Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon.
The debris recovery operation also claimed the lives of Jules F. Mier Jr & Charles Krenek
20 years on, we've not only solved the problems and moved on to new spacecraft, but learned more about how to make spacecraft accidents of this type more survivable.
All of this information is published in the Columbia Accident Investigation Report results:
history.nasa.gov/columbia/CAI...
There's also a later Crew Survivability report
www.nasa.gov/pdf/298870main_S...
And Aeromedical Lessons Learned from the
STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle Mishap
www.asma.org/asma/media/asma/...
There's also 'Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew' which covers stories about the recovery and reconstruction
amzn.to/3WTmNhq
Follow me on Twitter for more updates:
/ djsnm
I have a discord server where I regularly turn up:
/ discord
If you really like what I do you can support me directly through Patreon
/ scottmanley

[@CJDarkRose]

I was US Air Force Honor Guard during the time and in the area of the Columbia crash. If anyone's wondering how much respect we showed for them, rest assured that EVERY bit of organic remains recovered of the Astronauts got their own casket and flag and was treated with the highest honor and respect. I carried a few of them. The 8th Air Force Museum had a dedication to them for years after.

[@Fabester71]

Thank you for serving, God bless you.

[@F-Man]

Thank you for doing your part to bring these heroes home.

[@katarjin]

Had to a really rough time for you all, at lest you guys were able to do SOMETHING to help.

[@shanemeyer9224]

Thank you for your service and thank you for always treating these hero’s with nothing but the absolute respect, which they deserve!! Rest in peace

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

I would Salute you but I'm a civie so I can't. You have my highest respect. Thank you for your service.

[@stephenharris4162]

Never will forget having to drive around the heat tiles and other small bits of Columbia coming back from work that afternoon and the image of heat tiles all over the parking lot of our apartment complex. Was a surreal few weeks. Wife worked cataloging where various parts were found. The phone calls she overheard at the trailer set up by the sheriff's office to handle this process were sometimes pretty disturbing.

[@mballer]

Any body parts found?

[@David-yo5ws]

When you give your wife a hug next, let her know that us 'Space enthusiasts' are thinking of you both during this period of remembrance. A kiwi on the other side of the world, but I am close to you in thought. 🥂A toast to the hero's of the Columbia STS-107 crew.

[@KRDecade2009]

@@mballer body parts were found a vast majority of which were burned to the point where identification was impossible. I read that they found someone’s upper torso no head or arms attached, parts of arms and legs, a heart, a head still in a helmet but the burning was so bad that they couldn’t identify whose head it belonged to. The few parts they did find with the pressure suits still on (that upper torso for example) the suit had fused to the skin while the skin was carbonizing As for the heart I mentioned we don’t know who that belonged to we do know it at one point was one of the crews because of the burns. They found a pressure suit helmet with a skull or parts of one inside

[@daszieher]

@@KRDecade2009 this is unsurprising given the speed at which the crew module shifted position and disintegrated. So much kinetic energy.... Our relatively fragile bodies are not capable of absorbing energy of that magnitude. Not even with space suits.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

@@daszieher once the cabin broke apart, the suits were torn away, followed immediately by themselves to the point an aforementioned heart removed from the torso was found in a field. It was quick & instant.

[@EscapeTheCloudsOfficial]

While STS-107 was ongoing, I happened to read an article about how routine the Shuttle flights had become since Challenger and the public paid little attention to them any more. This upset me as a spaceflight fan, and I took my time to read another article about the crew, learning their bios, mission, and experience. The next morning, I went to visit my parents' house, and on the TV was Columbia breaking up. The shock sent me into tears, knowing those 7 people were now certainly going to be remembered, not for their character and exploits, but for their tragic end.

[@skippythealien9627]

"The shock sent me into tears, knowing those 7 people were now certainly going to be remembered, not for their character and exploits, but for their tragic end." it's really heartbreaking to think about for sure. However, to your point...i visited Arlington National Cemetery in April of 2018. To see the memorials of both the Challenger and Columbia side-by-side was very moving, and to see them honored in that way.

[@RAAM855]

It at least in a way made people more appreciative again. Atlantis got a huge welcoming party when it came back from its last mission, every wake up call was people thanking them I wonder that If this tragedy didnt happen that the space shuttle program would have ended with a whimper.

[@Shazbat5]

>"how routine the Shuttle flights had become since Challenger" And tragic how routine they became to NASA, resulting in the loss of STS-107

[@ba946x4]

They became routine when the Challenger blew up, that was whole premise of sending a teacher into space. NASA higher ups became to confident in the Shuttle program and pressured to stay on schedule and of course money hungry an the bottom line. Most of all to keep putting it in Russia face that we beat them in the space race. Things started to getting overwhelming to the engineers and upper management didn’t want to listen to the engineers anymore. You know the people who knows what’s in the best interest not only the astronauts but for NASA as a whole. I mean it’s bad enough that three men lost their lives on a launch pad in the 60’s but these two incidents one of which was in the mid eighties and the other one was in the early two thousands. In my opinion that’s seventeen to many. Granted there were a couple that were killed while in training and that’s very unfortunate but I’m talking about the ones that died while in action of the job they were trained to do. Well it’s just one man’s rant I guess.🤷🏽‍♂️✌️&💙💛

[@zumbinis]

@@skippythealien9627 when I last visited Arlington National Cemetery, long before the Columbia disaster, I was very moved to see the Challenger marker. I remember staying there for a while, thinking about the crew and their loss. Now it would be even more overwhelming see the marker remembering Challenger side-by-side with the marker commemorating Columbia and her crew.

[@LonestarNomad_]

I was outside of Belton High School waiting for Saturday detention.. beautiful clear blue sky. We stood and watch the bright streak across the sky and took turn guessing at what it could be. Falling satellite or some type high altitude jet. All dozen or so of us were incorrect. About an hour later the teacher conducting the detention came in crying. She could barely get the words out of her mouth. It was such a bizarre feeling to go from "wow that is so cool" to suddenly try processing the tragedy we all witnessed.

[@skippythealien9627]

Damn it happened on a Saturday? I could have sworn i was in class when it took place either way, man it was such a depressing time indeed.

[@baneverything5580]

We heard the sounds on the top of Toledo Bend Lake on the Louisiana side. It sounded like the end of the world...constant extremely powerful booms, whistling sounds, and a WOOOO WOOOOO WOOOO sound along with a very loud roar. My drums were shaking and the crash cymbals were moving and making sounds. We didn`t find out what had happened until around noon because we had no radio or TV where my friend and I had been practicing music. Some of the large pieces hit the lake. I knew people who saw them but they were in very deep water and never recovered.

[@macwyll]

You were in the Breakfast Club huh

[@gabrielguedes6166]

​@@skippythealien9627yep, Scott even mentions in the video how one piece of debris hit a teacher's desk at a school, but no one was hurt because it was a weekend

[@jamesrobert4106]

Why did you get detention? 😂

[@kentd4762]

Thank you, Scott, for this sensitive yet informative look at this tragedy.

[@ohnonomorenames]

You can hear in Scott's voice how hard he is trying to respect the memory of those lost while telling their story. I think he did a fantastic job.

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@ohnonomorenames Very good balance of the science, and a respect for the fallen crew.

[@thunder852za]

Could not have put it better myself

[@brucegoodwin634]

Perfectly stated, KentD. Salute.

[@brucegoodwin634]

@@ohnonomorenames Respect for your comment.

[@MikeHalsall]

Anyone else think William McCool (what a great name) looks a heck of a lot like Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert in Apollo 13? Thanks Scott for putting this tribute and analysis together!

[@MisterEpsilon]

First time I ever saw a picture of them all, I thought it was lol(I watched Apollo 13 earlier today actually, with Tom Hanks!)

[@thomaskositzki9424]

He totally does. :)

[@RangerMcFriendly]

My grandparents were great friends with Jack. My grandfather served in the Air Force with him and my grandmother dated him years before my grandparents married. The stories they told me about how cool he was…

[@davidharrison7014]

He did!

[@pommiebears]

Yes! I’ve always thought that too. And….McCool? What an awesome name. I remember this like it was yesterday. I’m not American, I’m English, but I followed what the shuttle was doing, and watched the take offs. Seeing Columbia break up, was utterly horrifying. Knowing the souls lost had families watching too. Just devastating.

[@spparodi]

This was the most respectful way this could have been explained. To those of us that witnessed Challenger’s disintegration during liftoff as school children and then listened or saw as adults Columbia’s loss, I absolutely applaud you for the way you presented this. Godspeed to the crew of Challenger and Columbia ❤

[@mikedineen7857]

Truth beat’s respect anytime.

[@robertmccormack1208]

@@mikedineen7857 this was a joke btw!

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

I was 19 years old when Challenger was destroyed, with a 2-year old and 3-month old, living in Scotland with my husband. I couldn’t process it, just sat on the couch and tried to get a handle on myself because there wasn’t an option. When I heard about Columbia I was at work at a café - I guess I had the same reaction, because my manager walked past then turned around a minute later to ask if I was okay or if I needed to go home. I was angry. I still am, terribly, terribly angry.

[@mikedineen7857]

@@JHaven-lg7lj we were all overwhelmed. But not angry. NASA oversold the safety of the shuttle they said there might be a chance of a explosion every 1000 launches.

[@rainer250]

@@JHaven-lg7lj I was still in Middle School when the Columbia disaster occured.

[@RickInMesa]

Thank you for ending the video with that shot of the crew orienting themselves for the up-down-up-down picture. Such a tribute, and such a tear-jerker.

[@MichaelRacer]

Even 20 years later, the footage of Columbia’s breakup is still disturbing. Hell, even the animation is very shocking.

[@5roundsrapid263]

I researched the breakup, but never saw this. I’ll never forget the Dallas TV station video, now I know exactly what was coming off the orbiter.

[@darthbuzz1]

@@5roundsrapid263 Yes, I learnt a lot more than I knew before. And I have seen pretty much every film about it.

[@cjc363636]

@@5roundsrapid263 WFAA-TVs photographer/camera op is in a 20 year special. I figure it's on their website, too. ....He still has a look of shock recalling the moment when he realized something was very wrong. He said suddenly, there was nothing he could really focus on, it was just becoming the blurry streaks we've all seen, instead of the bright, star-like point it had been moments before.

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@cjc363636 What a devastating way to be a part of history. Actually being there and capturing the moment Columbia came apart…

[@darthbuzz1]

@@callmeshaggy5166 Is that on KZbin?

[@ThomasBaxter]

Even the opening images of the breakup bring tears to my eyes. The photos - _PHOTOS_ - recovered are staggering in their effect. The joy on their faces is tragic in its beauty. This is great remembrance. Thanks for the video.

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

Same experience here Tom. Thank you.

[@howardkong8927]

Reminds me of a video of a few Indonesian submariners happily singing, weeks before their submarine failed and imploded in the depths. All 53 hands perished. Down to the ocean floor and up to the orbit, the frontiers are really unforgiving.

[@HicSvntDracones]

@@howardkong8927 You have to admit though, if you gotta leave this world... you can't really ask for a better time than right after being one of the very, very, very few people to have just finished spending time living and sleeping in SPACE

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@HicSvntDracones At least they got to enjoy their mission. The Challenger crew never even got to start theirs…

[@Andrew_Fernie]

@@user-vp1sc7tt4m ditto

[@ryanharem2808]

I was a part of the space shuttle recovery. It was a challenging task, and I am glad those efforts helped find answers for those family members as well as the scientific community.

[@JWSmythe]

Wow. They recovered a lot more than I expected. I had seen mentions of the recovery, but not actually showing it like you did. Thank you. It's sad to see, but worth seeing it. As I understand it, it's hard for anyone doing an accident recovery. I knew someone who was ordered to go help with a helicopter crash recovery. A medevac helicopter hit a tall antenna, and started breaking up almost immediately. She was walking through a natural area (no mowing or anything). She found a piece of medical equipment in the grass. Her first thought was "that's expensive, it shouldn't be here". Then she realized, she had just walked into the debris field. It was bigger than they expected. She also found part of a male genitalia. It was torn off as the helicopter tore itself apart before it hit the ground. It's horribly tragic, and damaged her. She has PTSD from searching the scene. Imagine being that person, torn apart in mid air. They'll always say it happened quickly, and that the victims didn't feel anything, but that probably wasn't true. They wanted to collect all of the victims, and all of their parts. So they searched the area for days, looking for every little piece of them. I'd imagine it was worse for the Columbia searchers. The crew were celebrities. Most people knew about them, and what they were doing. It wasn't a bunch of John and Jane Does. I'd imagine a lot of the searchers followed space things too, so they volunteered to help with the search. That's not how you want to meet your heroes.

[@janbadinski7126]

Thank you for your post.

[@WarFoxThunder]

Wow...

[@workingguy6666]

We had a jet airliner go down in my city years ago. I was in EMS at the time, but didn't have my hepatitis vacs up to date, so wasn't allowed to search. Basically the plane nose-dived into the ground and exploded the people inside into small pieces. The only body found relatively intact was a baby, otherwise it was parts, bones, organs, etc, strewn everywhere and hanging off of tree limbs. I could tell it affected those who went to search and mark the pieces, those who recovered the pieces. The identification of the body parts was a little more sterile and clinical in an airplane hanger with each baggie of an individual part being shuttled around identification tables (hand them a bone fragment, expert would write "male, 26 to 32 years of age, X part."

[@tjp2109]

​@workingguy6666 but that makes me proud to have an investigation that thorough. Imagine being an uncivilized society that didn't have any aviation accountability and kept having these tragic accidents. Our aviation accidents here are given a maximum level of respect.

[@MoonWeasel23]

It’s incredible how much information can be gather after a disaster. Goes to show why it’s so important to put sensors wherever you can on vehicles. Hopefully we take the lessons learned from this and other failures and never repeat the same mistakes.

[@pazsion]

Always take the time to repair and inspect before re entry even if someone tells you no, lesson #1

[@SnakebitSTI]

The issue with foam falling and damaging the Shuttle's thermal protection was discovered on STS-1. No, that's not a typo: 1 as in one as in the first. See section 6.1 of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's report. There is much scientific data learned from Columbia, but as far as safety goes? No new lessons there, just a reminder of the consequences of ignoring old lessons. The Columbia disaster was a repeat of the mistakes that lead to the Challenger disaster.

[@PRH123]

@@pazsion yes indeed... it was a major flaw from the beginning to have no system to check and verify the integrity of such a fragile and essential system as the thermal tiles... In civil aviation every system and procedure requires PST (primary - secondary - tertiary) checks... in this case they could not even do a P check when in orbit... and that is really astounding... surely it would not have been so difficult to devise a way to view the tiles with video cameras at a minimum... or at the other end of the spectrum design a system of sensors and wires that would alert to missing tiles... In aviation all teams are also expected to have documented contingency plans for various scenarios... and apparently in this case there were no plans for what to do in case of major tile damage...

[@RCAvhstape]

@@SnakebitSTI Mike Mullane calls it "normalization of deviance", basically ignoring the requirements because you got away with it a few times and figure you always will. Ther was a requirement for no O-ring burn-through, yet despite multiple burn-through incidents they launched Challenger anyway. There was a requirement for no debris strikes on the orbiter, yet despite tons of previous debris strikes they decided Columbia was going to be just fine. Follow the rules from the get-go and you can cut down on the risk and danger.

[@bobsmith-qu2oq]

Would be more beneficial to put quality people in charge of things. So says Astronaut Mike Mullane /watch?v=Ljzj9Msli5o

[@radben951]

I was an E-4 in the Air Force working at the Air Force Weather Agency when this happened and I remember many of the Raytheon contractors I worked with heading down to aid in the recovery effort because the Raytheon office had mobile satellite terminals that could provide communications to the remove areas where the recovery was taking place. Such a tragic period of time. 9/11, invasion of Afghanistan, the Columbia disaster, invasion of Iraq. It really left an imprint on me. If you get the chance to visit Arlington National Cemetery, please make sure to find the Challenger and Columbia memorials. They are on the opposite side of the amphitheater from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

[@5roundsrapid263]

I was a boy when Challenger was lost, and it was a tough period for me, too. I was never the same. Chernobyl happened just a few months later. A sad and scary time…

[@HicSvntDracones]

@@5roundsrapid263 I was 5 years old, and already a total space nerd. The challenger explosion is one of my earliest and most vivid memories I have. I have little bits and pieces of visual memories from before, but nothing like challenger. It actually made a greater impact on me than losing my grandfather not even a year later.

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@HicSvntDracones I was 6, and a HUGE space nerd! My room was full of Shuttle-related products: posters, toys, even a coin bank. It broke my heart, like most of America.

[@bobcastro9386]

@@5roundsrapid263 As did the Apollo One Fire nineteen years (and one day) earlier.

[@1Roamingwolf]

Me me me i was.... i i i me me blablablabla....

[@jdsahr]

One of the best seminars I have seen in my life was given by R. Bruce Darling, who was one of the members of the Panel investigating the tragedy (given his avionics/electronics expertise). By chance, the wing of the Columbia that failed happened to be the most highly instrumented wing in the entire Shuttle fleet. The telemetry from that wing showed various sensors failing/reporting impossible values as a function of time. This permitted very detailed physical tracking of the progressing damage to the wing before the loss of signal. The 50 minute seminar lasted slightly longer than the span of time of the destruction of Columbia.

[@johnp139]

Jonathan Clark, NASA flight surgeon and husband of crewmember Christina Clark, gave a pretty grave presentation.

[@srinitaaigaura]

The wing was connected to the Shuttle's OEX and Columbia was the only Orbiter to retain most of its test sensors and instrumentation. This data was not streamed to mission control, only the OEX itself. If that had been transmitted live, everyone would have known they were doomed in seconds. By the time Columbia crossed the coast, 17 of 19 sensors on the left wing leading edge had failed. It would take only 13 sec for the plasma to cut a 5 inch hole into the solid front spar exposed behind the tiles. It eventually softened and melted and even vaporized the beams and trusses supporting the wing and quickly cut into the left landing gear door, severing bundles of cables within seconds. And this was astonishing, right after the foam impact at launch, some temperature sensors behind Panel 8 and 9 recorded a noticeable increase in temperature till the Shuttle was in orbit. Already the first warning sign. The OEX revealed that many more sensors had failed one after the other with mission control only being aware of some of them that actually transmitted data to Mission Control. What is amazing is that how long the Shuttle flew almost intact with the kind of damage it had -- when the asymmetric drag began, engineers actually have said that the left wing trusses would have melted into pools by then with no support structure of any kind but the RCC panels and thermal blankets holding the top and bottom of the wing together.

[@srinitaaigaura]

That left wing was also imaged by an infrared experiment on a previous reentry to see how the temperature varied over the wing of the Shuttle. In fact that thermal imaging hardware was still on board the Shuttle on the final reentry, but not active. Imagine what it might have seen.

[@jdsahr]

@@srinitaaigaura assuming that that imagery was available in real time, imagine the horror of the technicians viewing it.

[@Tod_oMal]

Is that seminar available online by a chance?

[@dylanhayden8825]

No matter how many times I hear the reentry timeline, in the back of my mind I always hope that this time the shuttle will hold together and they'll be able to pull off a miraculous landing :(

[@fwaynedavis]

I was able to participate in the early recovery effort I was one of the many Amatuer Radio Operators who volunteered to assist in the coordination of communications among th teams of searchers. This event was humbling and yet impressive. For me, and surely many others, the event started a lifelong desire to help others when things go wrong. My search group found one of the patches mentioned in Scott's video. I still recall seeing that patch just lying there on the ground, as if intentionally placed there in the pasture we found it.

[@bbeen40]

73

[@timnor4803]

A little piece of hallowed ground

[@KoRntech]

I remember reading about all those efforts in QST.

[@jackeppington6488]

That was the kind of mission that ARES and RACES trained for, and at least in my group, got certs for...but as I recall the hams were pulled out after a few days because they were not government employees.

[@dave_oz]

That's cool as, thankyou for helping with the recovery efforts, it was a torturous time for so many involved in the mission

[@avecas]

This is a really good look at the technical side of the accident, and goes a long way to emphasize that each of those lives lost were individual, truly special people. I had never seen that real-time mapping of sensor data being lost inside the wing, and it's hauntingly interesting to see how much information we could reconstruct afterwards. But I will say that I think the most important lessons learned from Columbia by far are not technical at all, but cultural. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board report is excruciatingly eye-opening about the schedule pressures that influenced decision-making at the time, the "normalization of deviance" that allowed a fatal issue to go unaddressed, and horrific complacency during the flight that repeatedly frustrated efforts to get better information about the damage. It's easy to design a better vehicle; it's very difficult to design a better culture and organization.

[@ZombiZohm]

Because the redesign has to start at the top. When an engineer says wait just one more day so a simple problem can be fixed, best listen to him

[@agoo7581]

It was pretty frightening how NASA had pretty much learned absolutely nothing from the Challenger disaster. It was the same cultural issue: Delusional and arrogant management who ignored experts and didn't care about the lives they risks. Frankly, we have no reason to accept Scott Manley's assertion that Nasa is "trending in the right direction".

[@vonschlesien]

@@ZombiZohm to be a bit of a nitpicker: the bigger issue was normalization of deviance. Listen to the engineer when they say "it didn't kill anyone THIS TIME, but it could have and might in the future, so treat it like an emergency". NASA has gotten a lot better about evaluating deviances from expected outcomes based on *possible*, rather than actual, consequences.

[@baa0325]

Another thing…many of these cultural issues contributed to the loss of Challenger, and no lessons seem to have been learned then. That’s the part that has always infuriated me.

[@jkull173]

@@vonschlesien one thing I like to use at work “if you think safety is expensive, you should see how much an accident costs”

[@neru1584]

Honestly seeing actual footage of the crew talking and moving around, having fun actually made me start crying. Ive never done that before but seeing them in actual motion and hearing their voices so happy broke me. Because theyd never be able to see their loved ones or families again and they didnt even know.

[@denebkaitos7511]

same. there's something about seeing those clips... it's both heartening and saddening, seeing that they were having such a great time up there, unknowing that they were on a doomed mission... but at the same time- I think that being able to see them like this; as people who, as they were doing great things for the field of science, were also able to smile and joke around and play ball with a bundle of wrappers and praise the endless utility of duct tape; I think this is a much more human way to remember them.

[@spuwho]

I have read the official accident documents front to back. Aligned them to the videos and models available at the time. Scott did a great job here. The deferred telemetry comes off a C band antenna on the tail. Obscured from forward ground stations during re-entry, it is still picked up after the STS passes overhead. That is why Scott referred to "non-live" data that came in later. The telemetry was still being delivered off that tail antenna until it lost its power in the break up. As for the separation of the command deck, it actually didn't happen all at once. When the payload doors were dislodged the torque of the event caused a failure in one of those x braces and forces the cabin forward in the fuselage (Zone E). It continued that way for a few seconds and as the shuttle rolled over it separated it completely. At this time, all power was lost on the command deck as the leads were separated from their APU's. It is here that the mere rolling of the flight deck would have killed them if aphyxsiation hadn't already. FWIW: Parts are still being found. A recent lake in Texas was drained and one of the pressure vessels was found in the bottom and recovered. So it is possible that over the years, we might find more parts at the bottom of the many lakes in that area of Texas. Of all the shuttles to fail, Columbia was by far the one you wanted becuase it still had all of the test instrumentation on it. That is the one great reason this accident will contribute so much to future spacecraft design.

[@StevePemberton2]

Actually Columbia already had most of its test equipment removed. Some of it was removed during the OMDP (Orbiter Maintenance Down Period) in 1991. Then during OMM (Orbiter Major Modification) in 2000 more than 1,000 pounds of test instrumentation wiring and hardware was removed. Somewhere along the way it also had 5,500 tiles removed which were replaced by insulating blankets. Columbia was now light enough that its next scheduled flight after STS-107 would have flown to ISS. That would have been STS-118 in November 2003. That mission was flown instead by Endeavour in 2007.

[@hoghogwild]

non-live data, was also captured on many tape driven recording devices, which was found and examined, as the video stated. Columbias MADS provided some great post loss of comms data that would have been lost otherwise.

[@Blox117]

ok but what happened to their bodies

[@hoghogwild]

@@Blox117 In what regards? identifiable human remains were guarded until another astronaut could come to the scene to oversee recovery efforts. Maximum honour and respect were afforded.

[@Blox117]

@@hoghogwild no what happened to them when it was still happening

[@firefly4f4]

"I think they only recovered 3 of the 6 (engine turbopumps)" This is just a note to anyone who hears that and, like I did (so no judgment),has the immediate thought of there only being 3 main engines on the shuttle. Each engine has two turbopumps, one each for the oxygen and hydrogen. It again took me a minute to remember this, so I'm simply making this comment as a reminder. And thank you Scott for this video, as I had actually forgotten it's been 20 years. 😥

[@louf7178]

Don't fool yourself about "judging", everyone is doing it.

[@robert48044]

My first thought was maybe I could find one

[@dukecraig2402]

It's amazing they've found anything. Where did they find the pumps?

[@SuperMonkei]

In Soviet Russia, we have move engines than pumps.

[@johnarnold893]

@@dukecraig2402 Buried deep in the dirt. Turbo-pumps are extremely tough material as they are under super extreme loads and heat.

[@iz5772]

I still remember the moment the news reached us. I was at IAF flight training (1st stage though) and the entire base (and air force/ country) was sad. Few of my instructors/commanders ​knew Ilan Ramon and served with him in the past, so a lot of stories brought to life. Unfortunately years later Ilan's son also died in a f16 crash, and his wife died from cancer. Currently, as in right at this moment, Im waiting for a domestic flight in ETM Airport, which was named after Ilan and Asaf Romon. RIP heros.

[@TheLondonForever00]

Whole family wiped out. So tragic. Thank you for sharing this with us all.

[@robertjonas6216]

Salute!

[@LeoFINuTube]

One could argue what true heroism is. Other than dying in space shuttle accident.

[@iz5772]

@@LeoFINuTube well, as for ilan ramon, you should read his bio. he's one of only 16 pilots who ever bombed a neuclear reactor (8 in 1981 another 8 in 2006). as for the others, they are select few who ever been in space, so yes, heros.

[@LeoFINuTube]

@@iz5772 One could argue that Chesley Sullenberg is more hero than any of these ppl u mention.

[@foroparapente]

One of the most emotional episodes of this channel, despite being so technical and expressing low emotion. Well done Scott, you did amazingly.

[@honkhonk8009]

technical ones are the most chilling. Before it was just a statistic. Its like piecing together a mystery and probably gauging how they actually felt outside the usual media bull

[@kaycee711]

This happened over my area of East Tx/Deep East Tx. One of the gentlemen killed on the helicopter was my coworker’s husband. It was a devastating time for our area, and something no one will ever forget.

[@Deltarious]

I always find it very tough to hear about the space disasters, but I equally always find it neccesary to listen. Space is hard, and dangerous, and it does no good to shy away from those facts as difficult as they may be. It's very important we learn as much as we can from them when they do happen so we can improve and reduce the risks as much as reasonably possible

[@ghimmy47]

No matter how many risks are reduced if management is criminally negligent in addressing problems brought to their attention there will be more tragedies. Nasa actually refused an offer to view Columbia in orbit from a new telescope capable of inspecting any reasonably large defect. The wing root strike was known by management. Columbia was allowed to re-enter with no action other than optimistic opinions that nothing was wrong.

[@realzachfluke1]

Your comment put everything I was feeling into words. It was very tough to watch and listen to. And look, I'm someone who's been to the Kennedy Space Center about a dozen times, spread throughout my 24 years on Earth. I live just an hour away, so it's not a trek at all, and many of the times I went were on summer day camp field trips as a kid. But my reason for sharing this background is to say that despite all of those trips to KSC, where exhibits to the shuttle disasters absolutely can absolutely be found, I never truly internalized what happened to those two space shuttle crews, even as an adult, untill now. I could always tell you the names of the two _orbiters,_ but thinking about how they disintegrated, and more importantly the real people who were on those missions, hasn't been something I felt I could confront until this very moment. I've never seen that footage of the crew alive before, but that was exactly what I needed to see, and I'm overwhelmingly grateful for Scott making a point to show them as they were. Not behind a static team photograph of them taken before they left the ground, but in the footage they took of each other after they had reached space. They were independent people who existed outside of merely the shuttle that they flew or the job that they each did. They loved space (just like all of us), they loved learning about where they, and we fit into this whole _universe thing,_ they enjoyed where their lives took them and loved to laugh, and *they touched so many people's lives,* both while they were here and after they were gone-now including my own, in a deeply profound way that I'll be processing and reflecting on for years to come. So thanks, Scott. I really needed to hear all of that.

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

Payload Specialist Laurel Clark had a song by one of her favorite *Scottish* bands played as a wakeup song on the shuttle. After the shuttle broke up, the CD was found basically intact. Afterward, the Scottish band composed a song in tribute to Laurel and the astronauts who died. It's quite good.

[@RCAvhstape]

I get emotional but then I put it in perspective. Airplane accidents are no less horrific, and neither are train or highway accidents. Astronauts seem special to us because we project our dreams onto them and because they're public figures, but getting killed in an accident sucks no matter who you are and can happen to anyone.

[@ronaldhol9175]

All I know is that 14 lives were lost during the shuttle missions . These astronauts trusted NASA to launch them and bring them back to earth safely. NASA failed them going up ( Challenger ) , and coming down ( Columbia ). And in both instances , safety took a back seat to prestige and, of course, the almighty buck. What a DAMN SHAME !

[@laprepper]

I’ve never seen these pics. I’m tearing up. Every astronaut is an eternal hero. May we never forget the sacrifices of all the scientists who pursued the impossible for the benefit of humankind

[@David-yo5ws]

I'm right with you on all you said. Every human that put's on a space suit, is a brave person in my eye's. And they seem to have something in them at the moment.........

[@agoo7581]

Let's also not forget the negligence of people like Linda Hamm that got 7 astronauts killed for no reason.

[@eric7591]

@@agoo7581 Thanks for introducing that rabbit hole for me to go down. I wasn't previously aware of her. I imagine she has nightmares of that day for the rest of her life.

[@David-yo5ws]

@@agoo7581 The Shuttle program operated accident-free for seventeen years and 88 missions after the Challenger disaster. That may have led ( in 20 20 hindsight ) to belief that the system had been well and truly tested. The complex tiles had had other problems before this tragedy, that caused some similar near disasters (not related to foam strikes). To single out 1 individual who was part of a very big team, does, in my honest opinion, NOT stand up to scrutiny.

[@TomHill-xh7ec]

@@David-yo5ws Good points. I don't put the entire disaster on her shoulders, but try to learn from the things she did. As chair of the Mission Management Team, she was the top of the pyramid for that flight. One of the most important things a manager can do is know what they do not know, and Linda Ham was one of the people "The Board notes that no individuals in the STS-107 operational chain of command had the security clearance necessary to know about National imaging capabilities." (CAIB, Vol 1 P154) who didn't know the capabilities for getting images of the shuttle, but fought repeated requests for the data anyway. Those denials were one link in a chain that led to February 1, 2003.

[@jonathanstancil8544]

In May of 2014 I was inside the VAB at Kennedy and was given an informal tour. One thing that was pointed out was a concrete block structure with a large version of the mission patch for this flight. Inside this room are the remins of Columbia. Though I couldn't enter the room I was grateful to be that close so as I could offer a moment of silent prayer and thanks to this brave crew who gave everything in pursuit of answers and knowledge. I'm still deeply moved by the experience.

[@walkerpendleton760]

you saw the remains of Columbia??

[@Back2TheBike]

I took my young family to Florida for the theme parks in Jan '03. After working in defence for 25 years I was excited to visit the Space Centre and witness Colombia on the pad. It was a cold, clear day and my memories are vivid. I bought the mission patch and it's still on the wall in honour of the fallen. I also bought the mission reports for Apollo 13 and Challenger, not realising we were witnessing the beginning of another tragedy. We flew home to the UK, switched on the TV to the news it had been lost. Full respect from this Brit to all who served.

[@vault_3_props907]

My mother and sister witnessed the breakup as it happened. I can't believe 20 years has passed.

[@jammer2isme]

Columbia hits me a little every time. My parents flew me out to where my uncle was stationed at Patrick AFB and we spend a cold morning out with the horseshoe crabs on a beach until she tore the sky apart and shook the world in a way you just never forget. Years later standing on my front porch in Central Texas watching... and even worse KNOWING what I was watching before the talking heads could say anything was just a horrible feeling. Thank you for the tastefully done video that not only treats the subject without sensationalism but with the appreciation of the science that the astronauts dedicate their lives to.

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

It's not possible to hold back the tears on this one. I'm just a space enthusiast with no connection to the people involved, but it still hurts to think back to this event. Thank you for a really well rounded overview of what happened. Thank you Scott.

[@SafeBandicoot]

I find this so heart breaking. RIP Crew and respect to Mission Control personnel who had to witness this in the data as it happened. I've seen the Mission Control video. The repeated "Columbia, Houston comm check" calls from ground, expecting a response from Columbia was absolutely haunting.

[@mikerichards6065]

‘Bringing Columbia Home’ by Mike Leinbach and Jonathan Ward is a fascinating, beautifully-written and intensely moving read about the disaster recovery and investigation. The toll of the accident on those who knew the crew, the wider NASA workforce, the thousands of volunteers and people in the communities where Columbia came to Earth was devastating. But it is also a story of great bravery, incredible humanity and an astounding intellectual exercise to find out what had gone wrong. So many heroes.

[@LethalSaliva]

I bought it a few years back but only got to page 72. As the 20th anniversary was coming, I began reading more. Now I'm almost halfway through.

[@voxelmaniam]

I strongly recommend this also. On the day we lost Columbia I was listening to NPR's live coverage as I drove across SE Iowa. I remember the shock and heartbreak I felt when it became obvious that she and her crew were lost.

[@rubytwoshoes1032]

Thank you I didn't know about this book. Off to amazon I go. 👍🏻

[@Nielsen.Brian.P]

Came here to make this comment. Fantastic book, goes into so much of the backstory of the recovery and investigation. It remains the largest search and recovery operation, ever, in the world.

[@piggyvkc]

Yes, an excellent read.

[@icaleinns6233]

Tastefully done, Scott. I remember getting up way early to watch Columbia take off with a fuel tank painted white, even.

[@TomHill-xh7ec]

Me too! "Back in my day..."

[@hoghogwild]

Only 2 of those types of launches. Both of them with ejection seats/parachutes/and pressure suits. STS-1 and STS-2.

[@gailcaldwell1512]

Scott, I want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your OUTSTANDING ANALYSIS of this tragedy. This is TRULY FAR ABOVE AND BEYOND ANY OTHER RECONSTRUCTION OF THIS EVENT THAT I’VE SEEN SINCE IT HAPPENED 21yrs ago. Just OUTSTANDING! Cheers!

[@yes_head]

Thanks, Scott. This one was tough. About 10 years ago I obsessed over the accident and tracked down every report available, but a lot of it was still redacted. It looks like there's new information available. Just gotta be careful about getting sucked down the rabbit hole of disaster porn.

[@tajmahal4056]

It’s incredibly easy to do too 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 can be an extremely emotional roller coaster

[@KBS117]

2 things bug me. Rick didn't perform standard s maneuvers. Looks like he held the bad wing up out of the plasma stream until the right side of the shuttle began breaking and melting off. Then what she said on the first airing of the tape. He says, wouldn't want to be outside now, and she says"LIKE WE WERE BEFORE"? Indicating they were outside the shuttle. Now all the videos have garbled the last 2 words she said. I don't believe for second, nasa didn't know about the damage, and didn't inform the commander. Sorry, I worked with those people, I know how serious they were about everything.

[@Dr_Kenneth_Noisewater]

The Challenger/Columbia Memorial display at KSC took my breath away.. I was in 8th grade when Challenger happened and I clipped newspaper stories about that all throughout the investigation. So yeah to see that broken shard of Challenger took me instantly back in time... and then I glanced over at the burned and distorted window frame from Columbia and really it was a physical effect.

[@5roundsrapid263]

Yes, It’s very moving, to say the least. I wept a bit when I saw it. I remember both disasters very vividly.

[@X-JAKA7]

20 years ago, and this is actually explaining the full story of Columbia STS-107. RIP Columbia crew 🪦

[@dillonbledsoe7680]

U must have not looked into it besieged who deciedded to make content on it

[@X-JAKA7]

@@dillonbledsoe7680 now we see more videos of Columbia in space before disaster being leaked.

[@sdwalton33]

Thanks Scott. I lived on the southern side of Nacogdoches, Texas at the time. Watched the pieces fall and help with recovery. The time and effort put forth by everyone was incredible. Thanks for shining a light on all the efforts involved.

[@Wsnewname]

Challenger being something that happened well before my time, I have a strong memory of seeing Columbia break apart on the news that morning. Being 8 years old, really into space, and seeing this happen hardly a year after 9/11 was rough. Thanks for this video, it's always important to rember the danger and sacrifice involved in space exploration.

[@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim]

I distinctly remember being outside in 2003, looking up at the sky and seeing a streak across the sky. Moments later, my family urged be back inside.

[@seltonk5136]

Numerous missions falling out the sky in orbit but we went to the moon 60 years ago in Tupperware before color tv? yeah right 😂

[@livingtorture5745]

​@@seltonk5136 Buzz Aldrin would punch you, and he'd be right.

[@Graycata]

I remember getting out of bed and walking into the living room watch, i think they were replays, of the shuttle entering atmo and falling apart. My dad explained what had happened to eight-year-old me

[@halepauhana153]

Film photos recovered after the accident - now that is just incredible. Thanks for this technical and open review of this tragedy. Space was never the same after this.

[@aldimore]

It still makes me sad. Thank you Scott for taking the time to help us learn.

[@RyanEmmett]

There has been a lot of coverage of this sad anniversary, but this is easily the most informative and respectful I have seen. Thank you Scott.

[@richardstephens3327]

This is something I will never forget. I was driving down the highway in TX while the debris was falling. I later helped find some of the parts while I was working as a surveyor.

[@funnyitworkedlasttime6611]

20 years… man, when did we get old?

[@Theoryofcatsndogs]

We get old since we born, and it happened right before our eyes.

[@RossComputerGuy]

Heh, I was not even two years old when this happened. It's been a long time.

[@ChessIsJustAGame]

I was 25 when Challenger happened. That feels like 20 years ago. 😏

[@grafton3073]

It’s crazy I remember it like it was yesterday. Where DOES the time go?

[@astrofpv3631]

Covid really made time blend

[@hawkdsl]

I was watching this live, and as soon as the reports of sensors failing started to come in, I knew it was over... especially when the tire blew. It was heart wrenching, and the feeling that there was nothing anyone could do to fix it was just horrendous.

[@liwoszarchaeologist]

Scott's videos are always well researched, but this one truly goes above and beyond. Moving, inspiring, deeply detailed and informative.

[@andystevens7557]

That was heart wrenching, but I learned a lot more than I previously knew. As a QA Engineer, it was educational seeing how certain sensors failed first and the deconstruction of the crew capsule.

[@PhillipChalabi]

This is a tough subject to cover. I am glad you walked through it with us. Spaceflight can be dangerous, and they were pushing the final frontier, they will be remembered forever.

[@agoo7581]

I feel like this sentiment is dangerous and lets a lot of negligent people off of the hook. Yes, space flight is hazardous, but if you look at all of the disasters, at least in American space flight, it was a result of so many people up top ignorant so many warnings and preventing and actively preventing any engineers and other experts from doing their jobs safely, and it was no more apparent than in the columbia disaster. The whole "space flight is so dangerous" rhetoric allows irresponsible people to excuse their own incompetence by justifying astronauts deaths as a "tragic inevitability of the extreme danger of spaceflight". The truth is, columbia was anything but that.

[@rjwearelindfors904]

Yes M. P.. I was design engineer at Rocketdyne (Apollo) and no expense was disallowed, cause we were doing everything for the 1st time. This can do attitude saved Apollo 13. But those ppl were long laid off for Space Shuttle screw ups. PERT schedule became god. I myself found; always time to do it over; never time to do it right.

[@whgrunow]

Spaceflight IS dangerous 🚀

[@whgrunow]

“ Risk Management “ Mathematical probability, Everything is expected.

[@CaptainRon1913]

@@agoo7581 "people up top ignorant so many warnings and preventing and actively preventing any engineers and other experts from doing their jobs safely" Such as what?

[@JMurph2015]

What I think is really sad about this accident is how many things the Space Shuttle "unlearned" from Apollo. Crew safety didn't seem to high enough priority in the whole design process of the Shuttle. From the first several minutes of flight where if anything went wrong while the SRBs were still attached, there was no way to cut loose from them, to the black window where they had enough energy to be a fatal crash but not enough energy to swing Shuttle around for a suitable landing, to the heat shield being exposed to FOD for the entire duration of the mission (orbital debris is also a threat I wonder about), there just were too many scenarios where loss of crew was probable. These engineering shortcomings led to the loss of 7 of the best of us. I'm really glad that the Commercial Crew program took a more conservative approach and that the safety systems of at least SpaceX's Crew Dragon seem quite robust.

[@johnp139]

We moved into a period where money was more important than lives. Or the fact that the system couldn't meet the program requirements and protect the crew.

[@TamaraWiens]

Thank you Scott - this was incredibly informative and also deeply respectful. I appreciate how you were able to meld all the information into 20 minutes of video which have left me very moved, and much more informed.

[@LiamDennehy]

Wonderfully done Scott, great that you bookended this with footage of the crew loving their work. I've watched the feed of mission control, and I get a giant chill when the director says "lock the doors". I can't imagine how traumatic this must have been for the families and flight personnel. Thanks for this great presentation.

[@BradM73]

During the shuttle program, I tried to watch all of the launches and landings whenever possible. I remember waking up early that morning to watch the reentry and landing in NASA TV. I watched it all happen in real time, and knew that there was a problem when the tire temperature sensors began to report high temps and eventual blowouts of the tires. Moments later they lost telemetry data which was never regained. Radar contact was lost, and as the clock ticked on toward the moments when the shuttle should have been making its final turns for landing, my heart sank. Back in 2011 when I visited Florida for the final two space shuttle launches, I took the chance to go to the visitors center and visit the astronaut memorial. Sitting here writing this still brings be back to those painful moments. I’m glad to know that the research and new developments that came from the loss of Columbia will go on to make space flight safer for future generations, and I feel those advancements in technology honor the crew that gave their lives for the exploration of a new frontier. God bless them all.

[@willharmatuk4723]

Thanks Scott. I appreciate how much you highlighted their huge smiles in this video!

[@richb313]

Thanks Scott for remembering and showing all the techniques employed to understand the nature and sequence of events that led to this tragic accident.

[@MrMyu]

The thing that always stuck with me was one of the investigators having to tell management: "Don't think of it in terms of material. Think of it in terms of mass." 750 grams hitting the wing is 750 grams no matter what it was made of.

[@dancingdog2790]

Ugh, management. "We got lucky, so we'll assume we stay lucky" is not a risk mitigation plan.

[@andrewhillis9544]

Momentum = Mass * Velocity² ! ! ! This IS What MANY Failed To Take Into Account AND Proves THAT Something DOESN'T Have To Be Going VERY Fast In Order To Cause A Lot Of DAMAGE When It HITS Something!!!

[@dclong-]

20 years already. I was getting ready to leave for my 2nd deployment that day. Truly time waits for none of us. Thank you for what you do Mr Manley.

[@kyledurch8824]

Very well done, Scott. This was one of the best safety investigation reports/summaries that I’ve seen (prior AF safety officer). Perfect balance of technical details with the big picture. Thank you!

[@MrBuzzBill]

Well done, Scott! I always appreciate the way you present things. Very respectful in this case including the endearing videos and pictures of the doomed crew.

[@Charlie-Oooooo]

Such a tragedy, as was Challenger. Thank you Scott, for all the pics and video footage showing how happy the crew was during their mission.

[@ScienceChap]

I was serving overseas with the British Army at the time this happened. I remember switching on the TV I had managed to obtain and seeing the BFBS news showing the stricken craft in her final throes. Thanks Scott for this sensitive presentation.

[@abhijeetsinghbal]

It was a tragic event for us all. They were brilliant scientist and were doing brilliant scientific research. We lost the pride of our nation Kalpana Chawla in this event and still mourns on this loss. May they all are resting in peace. Thank you Scott for sharing this information on aftermath of the event and staying respectful to all the beautiful souls we lost.

[@glennpearson9348]

My grandparents lived in Fairfield, Texas, which you can see at 7:15, just covered up by the last "a" in "Corsicana." I remember that during the ground search and recovery efforts, hotel rooms from Lufkin to Dallas were completely booked (I lived in Richardson, Texas, just north of Dallas at the time). The out-pouring of support, respect, and and sense of loss was tear-jerking.

[@drisbain]

Columbia STS-107 was going to be the first shuttle landing i would watch live. I was with someone who's close friend was on the shuttle. I will never forget it.

[@kirishima638]

Those tape reels really emphasise how the Shuttle was still 70s technology.

[@metriczeppelin]

I watched this tragedy on TV unfold in real time and was upset for days. This video brings back some of the sadness I felt. RIP Columbia crew.

[@thesundog8833]

I did as well.. Ten years old. I'll never forget that.

[@BlackBuck777]

Thank you Scott, I recall the moments I saw this heartbreaking event on TV - as an avid space fan I rarely missed launches or re-entries. I can only imagine the memories of those closer to the work of recovery, their emotions both at the time and even now after so many years. It was a privilege to visit Nasa at Kennedy and stand at the memorial to pay my respects some time ago.

[@baomao7243]

Outstanding work pulling this together and keeping it respectful. Seeing this video reminds me of the sense of loss I felt in losing kindred spirits. Thank you for pulling this together.

[@rougeneon1997]

This one I am more emotionally attached to. Mainly because I was a young adult when it happened, vs being two years old when Challenger happened. Nice video Scott. Good work.

[@jamieclay007]

Excellent and comprehensive report, sir. As one who watched the breakup in person, it's really great to see the details of what happened.

[@cjchubb]

Scott I thought you handled that really well, it’s a tricky subject due to the tragic loss of life but you know your audience and I found the video really insightful, thank you.

[@PlaneBoy2520]

God this is a mission I will never forget. While I may have only been a year old at the time, my mother remembers this mission like it happened yesterday. She used to be a flight controller monitoring the electrical systems inflight. This turned out to be her last mission, she just couldn’t handle the pain of losing her crew like that. Honestly I can’t say I blame her :/

[@5roundsrapid263]

Whoa, that’s really devastating. Tell her there are people out there who are proud of her, and know it wasn’t her fault.

[@Deanooooo]

I was 9. I remember the newspaper covers and the Tv footage of the breakup.

[@honkhonk8009]

Anyone remotely affiliated with NASA or the Pentagon got an exponential chance of being a furry. idk why

[@justinodom4189]

Thank you Scott for taking such a professional look at this a making content that is educational and supportive of the families that love loved ones. We will never forget them. And we will never forget the two Shuttles lost due to miss management and the lessons learned will save many lives

[@dyode1]

Excellent video Scott. True to the technical detail aesthetic of your channel, respectful but honest treatment of a tragedy. Of all my subscribed channels, yours is the one I immediately cast to my TV from my phone when unwinding after work.

[@johnmarksmith1120]

The day this happened, my Grandfather heard and felt this. He lived in Hemphill,Texas on the Toledo Bend reservoir and happened to be walking to his mail box. He described it as a very loud, rotating, whooshing sound. It was overcast so he couldn’t see anything but he said he could feel it in his bones and felt as though something would break through the cloud layer any second. He said it lasted about 5-6 seconds then suddenly stopped. He would later describe it as one of the scariest experiences of his life. This from a man who spent 3 years in a Japanese POW camp.

[@rcmaniac25]

Thank you for the thought put into this. I remember walking into my kitchen and my mother telling me come over and look at the TV. And then watching the live broadcast. I don't really remember how I felt, but it is a certainly something that I'm sad about. I don't remember the exact phrase, but I think it's something like "the present is painted with the blood of the past" and I can only hope the tragedies and disasters become less and less common. Again, thanks for making this.

[@unknowncuyler5449]

Scott been watching you for like a decade. soo glad you chose this topic. I remember meeting mission specialist david brown when I was a kid. got a signed photo from him. any images falling from space and recovered would be the analog form of downloading.

[@generaldvw]

Phenomenal work Scott!...Fly safe indeed...Can't believe this is 20years ago.

[@Pozer714]

Excellent review, best analysis I've seen of this tragic event. God bless them all.

[@venturestar]

I recall how shocked everyone was on that particular day. Excellent video Scott, with respect and content I've never seen online.

[@instinctroller]

Beautiful video, Scott. In spite of it being a mostly technical walkthrough, I found the play-by-play heartbreaking. Imagining those final moments inspires a deep sadness.

[@Nathan-vt1jz]

Thank you for covering this topic. So often I feel like it’s glossed over quickly because it was a tragedy. You did a wonderful job honoring the memory of the crew and covering the topic historically. You do great work!

[@smileydeassman5573]

Thank you for being so respectful and so honorable in your reporting.

[@truckert9729]

It was a guard drill weekend for me, I was in the shop doing the things when they broke in on the local radio station at about 9am. I've seen recovered video of them during reentry. Wonder and amazement of what was happening around them. Not a care in the world. It wasn't until the very end when they mentioned am unusual vibration followed by static and video feed cut out. Echoes of Reagan's speech come to mind; touching the very face of God! God bless sir and thank you for this. It's good to remember those who went on to the undiscoveres country before us.

[@braddemientieff5659]

My son was a day shy of one month old as we watched the news unfold. A few weeks later, our wildfire crew from Galena Alaska was on scene at Nacadoshis Texas as part of the recovery efforts. 20 years- wow! Still hard to find the words to describe the experience, except for “ close to home”. Thanks for the video

[@philipkudrna5643]

Thank you, Scott! Very informative and at the same time very respectful and sensitive. Another masterpiece!

[@pogostix6097]

I was almost 9 when the Colombia Disaster happened. There was (possibly still is, haven't been that way in a while) a local Elementary School here in Utah named after the shuttle some years before, Colombia Elementary. I remember at the time the working theory in the news was the shuttle had broken up due to missing thermal tiles on the bottom. There was a local news broadcast that told the story of the disaster and mentioned the school had some of the thermal tiles from the shuttle hanging in displays on the wall. And I remember thinking, being an 8 year old who was just smart enough to come to the wrong conclusion, "Well duh, of course it blew up, they had the missing tiles hanging in the school," and feeling like all these adults were being very stupid. Eventually I learned they replaced the tiles after each mission and felt pretty foolish!

[@TheFatblob25]

I live in Anacortes Washington, where Willie McCool lived while stationed at NAS Whidbey, just 20 miles away. His kids went to school in town with friends of mine. Absolutely heartbreaking to see this all play out. Incredible forensic troubleshooting.... Hopefully will make space flight safer.

[@TheFatblob25]

@Tyler Braden That's not true. Anacortes is a terrible place & its not beautiful at all & the schools aren't good & people are not nice. Its especially a terrible place to visit. Views of Mt. Baker are awful & sunsets are also not good.

[@LethalSaliva]

We always travel to Anacortes to take the ferry to Friday Harbor every summer.

[@aeromoe]

Scott - thank you for this video. Here it is 9pm and I'd forgotten this was the anniversary. My friend Jerry called me that morning and woke me up to inform me of the disaster. I can't imagine what it was like for this crew (and the crew of the Challenger 17 years earlier) R.I.P. ALL space crews who have lost their lives.

[@EthanKatzNation]

Scott thank you so much for making this video. I watched EVERY space shuttle mission I could on NASA TV, and STS-107 was no different. I remember the sinking feeling of hearing the calls "Columbia, Houston: Comm check..." so haunting... I ran into the typical southern california backyard at my parents house after they 'locked the doors' and looked up the sky, imagining I could feel the life energy of those astronauts... what their deaths and contributions would bring downstream...

[@Wayner71]

I've watched the recovered video footage of the cockpit (as reentry commences) many times. It is haunting footage. When that video ends, it is only minutes before catastrophe. One hopes that these brave individuals passed out quickly and did not suffer.

[@burnte]

Thank you, Scott. Very well done and I learned a lot. I was always a space nerd, and I saw the Challenger loss and Columbia live on tv. They’re tough topics and you did this very well.

[@kdog3908]

The best way to honour those explorers we lose is learn all that can be learned from what their loss leaves us. Nothing but respect to the people we lose and the engineers who work to make sense of the loss. "Non est ad astra mollis e terris via" (There is no easy way from the earth to the stars)

[@andrewlalis]

I highly recommend to see the space shuttle exhibit at the KSC visitor center, where they honor the astronauts of the two lost shuttles, and show salvaged parts of the shuttles. A very sombering experience.

[@o_manam]

Seeing the wreckage was very emotional. Columbia's cockpit windows... if they could talk.

[@br8801]

This still makes me so sad. I remember being in a department store that morning and watching in horror as these images were displayed on a bank of TV's in the electronics department. Was like a knife in my heart for those poor astronauts and for my country. 😢

[@hooman9415]

RIP Columbia. I was looking into Columbia before this and this video is going to be great at wrapping it up.

[@alucardofficial7074]

This was an amazing video Scott, thanks so much for putting this together.

[@jamesocker5235]

This was such a tragic loss and a gut punch, thanks for your coverage

[@fasvi1285]

Thank you for taking the lives of these people seriously, by showing us what happened. I am sure this information was public, but it is so helpful to have an expert put it together for me to see.

[@beavismount]

There's a lot here I never knew, thank you. And thanks for the reading material in the description! I was going through Air Force training in Texas when this happened.