Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy: WFAA's first breaking coverage

This is the first breaking coverage on the morning the space shuttle Columbia broke apart above Texas. February 1, 2003.
Jason Whitely looks back on the Columbia disaster 15 years later: • The Columbia disaster:...
STORY: www.wfaa.com/a...
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[@711tornado]

1:53 "we're not gonna draw too many assumptions here, we're gonna try and give you information as we can confirm it." man how news has changed.

[@jont7331]

It's not hard to imagine what happens when a shuttle breaks apart going 18 times the speed of sound, 200,000ft up with no way to abort.. Any person with half a brain would know they were all dead by the time this video was shot, and in the impossibility someone survived that (they wouldn't) they would be dead once they hit the ground

[@TheEmeraldMenOfficial]

Jon T So? You don’t want to just say “Yeah, they are dead”, you want to hold out hope. You want to keep your audience listening.

[@11creeper45]

Jon T just curious why you did not just say the speed of sound why did you say 1x

[@user-de4cq6uk6l]

Jon T *18 times the speed of sound

[@jont7331]

@@user-de4cq6uk6l yeah i forgot to put an 8 on there.

[@matthewadair4507]

I can’t believe it’s been almost 20 years. Rest In Peace to the crew of Columbia. Godspeed. I wish you were here with us.

[@stevesgaming7475]

Wow, time flies!

[@elijahvincent985]

I was six years old when I was visiting the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base around the time this shuttle took off and there was a huge display of NASA stuff and a dedicated section of Astronauts (which remain on display even now). Little did I know, that very week, this tragedy occurred. So sad.

[@buddyrebel_Garcia]

19 years! 20 on 2 months

[@ari1758]

@@buddyrebel_Garcia hence the “ALMOST 20 years.” read.

[@buddyrebel_Garcia]

@@ari1758 eat me

[@kirtically5497]

Can I appreciate the news channel reporting this whole thing? They are not jumping to any conclusions before a solid source actually confirms anything. Also, the studio anchors seem to know the basics of such space travels. Now a days, the news channels would make a circus out of it. Edit: you guys are so riled up in the replies hahaha. I live in India and our mainstream media is just as big a circus as the USA so we are in this together. Cheers!

[@D45VR]

@@jaydouglas8845 you are 100% correct.

[@MrArmenian17]

@@jaydouglas8845 this isn't the first comment like this. Just part of someone's agenda, undermine public trust in journalism.

[@coltonreeves6893]

@@MrArmenian17 Journalists have already done a very good job of undermining the public's trust in journalism

[@MrArmenian17]

@@coltonreeves6893 nah, that's just muddying the waters. People should be smart enough to figure out what's bullshit, what's a headline, and what's reputable information.

[@pulver117]

@@MrArmenian17 "Just part of someone's agenda, undermine public trust in journalism." and then saying "People should be smart enough to figure out what's bullshit, what's a headline, and what's reputable information." Just shows how twisted your view is. In what world should the "greatest" nation have to sift through the piles of corporate media trash that is bias editing, reviewing, "analysing" and opinionating to somehow decipher the truth? The corporate media is in it for the money and their own political gains. They don't give a shit about you or I, only that we keep watching, ratings.

[@eddiecongdon8017]

People may not realize but when NASA says something is behind schedule especially like 7 minutes late you know something is very wrong because they usually have these landings down to the second of when they should have landed

[@stephencourton3328]

Yeah clearly NASA highly concerned when communication dropped off but likely at first hoped just transmission failure. As time went on no communication no tracking the concern likely grew quick and missing landing time they know was bad news but maybe held very slight hope shuttle maybe had to try to land somewhere else.

[@andrewtaylor940]

Stephen Courton if you listen to the flight control transcripts you can hear the tension in the room rising as they started to lose sensors in the wing and wheel well. They realized what was happening as soon as they started getting temperature spikes and feared the worst immediately.

[@coocato]

Andrew Taylor Yeah, space travel is dangerous. One small move or failure of inspection could cause tragedy.

[@courtneywright2549]

NASA knew it had a bad chance of making it back safely.

[@Zoomer30]

It was a glider: It can't be late or early. And anyone who was experienced in watching Shuttles fly over on the way to land knew this was very bad.

[@bloodhawk2687]

Can't believe it's been 20 years now. I was 12 at the time, and I still remember my dad coming in and waking me up to tell me what was going on. Sat in bed for over an hour watching the news coverage. Definitely one of those things that sticks with you. RIP crew of Columbia.

[@steelpipetv2073]

I was 18 in 2003 I remember that Saturday morning it was really cold outside

[@xpensfanatic2009]

I was 12 then too. My uncle called my grandma to ask if we were watching the news, and we weren't, so we put it on for the rest of the morning.

[@timhornswaggle1243]

So sad. I still have all of the news reports saved on vhs tapes.

[@wjroberts913]

This is too eerie! My 12-year-old son came barging into my bedroom (I worked nights) to wake me exactly as you described your dad woke you . . .

[@ethanwashoe5868]

I’m surprised I never heard of this event until today I would of been 8 at the time and didn’t find out about this until watching the challenger documentary on Netflix

[@lofthouse23]

The COMPLETE silence in Mission Control is absolutely chilling. Rest in Peace, lost crew.

[@leecowell8165]

yeah they knew as soon as hydraulics was lost that the orbiter was lost as well.

[@charlessmith263]

@@leecowell8165 What caused that disastrous re-entry failure? What set it off?

[@lastdolphinator4033]

@@charlessmith263 damage sustained on lift-off, nasa refused to review and fix the crews concerns. Upon re-entry, the crews concerns proved to be founded, but you can see that.

[@Mr.HotRod]

I believe upon liftoff a rather small piece of the tile shielding fell off the main part of the body and punched a hole in the left wing. It made it during the 2 weeks in space because there is no direct superheat on the shuttle in space but as soon as it started to land the superheated air at 12,000 to 16,000 miles per hour crept into the hole on the left wing and eventually burnt and melted all the critical controls and doomed the whole shuttle. Brave souls, we shall never forget all 14 of the 2 shuttle crews.

[@user-Kova15]

@@lastdolphinator4033nasa refusing to review concerns is exactly how the challenger detonated aswell

[@marcwharb333]

Remember when journalists actually reported the news?These guys handled this like pros.

[@FIRE-LOTUS]

Local reporters will be far more professional than all those other mainstream news channels.

[@billystephens9450]

It the local ABC affiliate. Trust me. Lived there for 40 years.

[@Simon_PieMan]

Even BBC here in UK are now obsessed with giving an immediate answer - so dumbed down it’s sad.

[@kevinm2365]

Well I mean they were pros

[@avada0]

They'd F-ing describe a chicken as maybe, possibly an animal. Awaiting confirmation.

[@notsojoerogan]

"We're gonna try and give you information as we can confirm it" Words the modern news outlets do not live by... unfortunately

[@JSSTyger]

They didn't in 2001 either. The BBC announced of World Trade Tower 7 23 minutes before it fell.

[@sirkayda7205]

@@JSSTyger - Before it was demolished.

[@JeroAstra]

It's also a local news station which seem to be more responsible.

[@policerthought5649]

@@JSSTyger Oh what a shock, they announced that a building that had been gouged out completely on one side and had been burning for nearly six hours, AFTER THE TWO LARGEST BUILDINGS IN AMERICA HAD JUST COLLAPSED, was in danger of collapsing. Seriously, what an unbelievable coincidence.

[@JSSTyger]

@@policerthought5649 well the NIST did say in their report that structural damage from the tower collapses was insignificant to the collapse of tower 7. They said the fires were intense enough to bring it down with or without prior damage.

[@olivergrumitt8033]

Well done to the presenters for reporting this tragedy in a calm and professional way. Just minutes after the disaster occurred, they got the cause spot on.

[@STSRTF]

Yes they did and Miles O'Brien also told the phsical cause of the disaster within a hour of it happening.

[@xIIIQueenOfSwordsIIIx]

Back in the day where there were real journalists properly reporting news.

[@Rishi123456789]

"Well done to the presenters for reporting this tragedy in a calm and professional way." Don't praise them for doing what they are supposed to do. Raise your standards. These people get paid to report things in a calm way.

[@rickbeauchene8694]

​@@Rishi123456789L take. These guy are doing much better than modern news anchors. Modern news would mention it for a minute or 2, then move on the something unimportant and meaningless for a few hours

[@Rishi123456789]

@@rickbeauchene8694: "L take." Wrong. Raise your standards. "These guy are doing much better than modern news anchors." Learn my language before you talk to me again, esl zoomie. lol

[@aaronumbergerau]

I remember when Columbia went down. I was six years old, living just south of Waco, TX, and I recall helicopters flying over my house at incredibly low altitudes as they were conducting their recovery efforts. I don't think I'll ever forget it.

[@TheFelixGaribay]

S.Waco and I was 12 years old

[@RYMAN1321]

Recovery efforts? How could they recover anyone since it was obvious no one would’ve survived ?

[@sofakingraw4149]

Crazy I grew up in Killeen

[@darkheart9044]

​@@RYMAN1321 They have to be sure. Besides, they needed to recover the pieces of the shuttle, too. I am from Denmark, I remember it was shown on national tv here. I was 22 at the time. Terrible and it was an accident, that din't had to happen, but NASA once again din't take their responsibility seriously, just as they didn't do with the Challenger accident. Sadly, 14 people had to pay the ultimate price for it.

[@Kasperion]

Excellent reporting, WFAA. This should be taught as a template for how to do it right. Well done.

[@hothotheat3000]

And they correctly identified the cause!

[@hirakbanerjee7514]

I still remember that day. It was night time in India & i was off to bed with my grandad. Mom came into my room saying 'YOU REMEMBER KALPANA CHAWLA? ABOUT WHOM YOU READ IN YOUR SCHOOL? SHE IS DEAD' That night & that news are still fresh in my memory.

[@BlokeBritish]

@ISHAN PATEL no, she walks in and starts narrating the entire story right from day 1 of Columbia's voyage. then she talks about the fun times the crew may hv had, how they spent time etc. and finally she says Kalpana Chawla is dead !

[@tomtagliente1464]

January 16, 2003 she launched. 16 days in space 16 minutes from home.

[@buckmurdock2572]

Beautiful, lyrical tribute.

[@anthonybarr301]

16 years and one month after the challenger disaster

[@anthonybarr301]

@@K.herrington7763 i know but that would be a crazy coincidence

[@BriaBri]

3 days after i was born..

[@psxfan9240]

16 cities of texas and louisiana the debris was recovered from

[@don312000]

I'll never forget the sinking feeling when I first heard Columbia was late for landing--knowing that the only thing that can make a shuttle landing late is a REALLY bad day.

[@jogman262]

Yep. No holding pattern possible for the Shuttle.

[@chrisgailus3411]

20 years... I remember every moment of this coverage like it was yesterday. I was so thankful to be sharing the anchor desk with veteran Brad Watson as we related the horrifying reality of what was happening. We showed the first spectacular shot of the shuttle streaking across the sky live, and then went to a commercial break.. but because Brad was doing the voice over in that moment, I was watching the live shot intently and was the first to notice the apparent break-up. We discussed it in the commercial break, and as we were taking a second look at it... just a couple of minutes later our producer spoke into our ears to say the shuttle was "overdue" in Florida. I knew in that moment it was disaster. If it wasn't for WFAA cameraman John Pronk who set up in the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas, as he had done for other fly-overs, we would not have had such a clear record of this dark moment in America's space history.

[@Palabrota]

You and your whole team did a great job handling such an awful situation with so little information to go on at first. Thanks for coming back here to leave us your memories of the day.

[@jameslyons3320]

As we drank our coffee, the house shook and there was a Loud boom. We immediately turned on WFAA to see the live video, prior to the studio coming on with Brad's analysis.

[@DONUTBUZZCUT]

Same here!

[@Nukenado-dr9nz]

Wait Palestine I live 20 miles away

[@robertbennett5192]

I was awakened by an explosion that actually SHOOK my house. I thought it was a bomb because the house literally pitched me out of the bed. I opened the sliding door to my rear deck ten feet away and looked around the corner of the house, as I lived on a busy highway and thought it was an accident out there. I looked up to a clear blue sky and saw a distinct vapor trail with hundreds of sparkling pieces glittering and raining down like fireworks. I lived in Frankston, Texas about 30 miles north of Palestine, Tx. at the time. For the next several days and weeks we would see these strange white non descipt looking vehicles patrolling the highways in the area. And yes, there were plenty of warnings not to touch anything we may find on our property. ( As if that would deter someone, lol).

[@Nukenado-dr9nz]

My dad building a fence at the time he threw a piece of scrap metal in my family yard 5 hours later police came to our house because our neighbor called the police thinking it was a piece of the Colombia space ship

[@robertbennett5192]

Nukenado yup. We all have those kinda neighbors. It was paranoia city around these parts for a few weeks with those people overrunning the area. People, I swear!!!

[@AlonsoRules]

I wish news was like this nowadays

[@randyfox364]

This is exactly how Fox News reports today. No assumptions until statement or data comes forward. I take it you watch CNN MSNBC. Lololol

[@AlonsoRules]

I was watching CNN nearly 3 years ago and they were bashing Trump. This rhetoric still continues today.

[@Adam-nb6im]

@@randyfox364 Lol you're deluded. Fox is just as bad as CNN.

[@ramirezzavala5174]

Ik

[@ReservedGuest]

@@AlonsoRules Well duh he was announcing his candidacy for president. It's no different than how Fox treated Obama, get over it.

[@rachaelbunny6198]

I remember this day so clearly. My sweet, wonderful Dad, who was currently and HAD worked out there at the cape for almost fifteen years was watching something on television and crying. I had never seen this man cry. As an eleven year old girl, it scared me. I remember asking him, "Daddy, what's wrong?" And he looked up, with tears flooding his eyes and said, "the shuttle blew up, honey. Everyone is probably dead." And just solemnly looked back at the television. My Dad died last year and I'm now 31 years old with my own kids. And yet, I'll never get this memory out of my head. The pain he felt for the loss of the astronauts was so tangible and present that I can still feel it to this day when I relive this moment in my head. So unbelievably sad and needlessly tragic.

[@jonathanrogers8838]

I'm sorry for your loss

[@Hidingfrompeople]

Sure.

[@TheLucidSpecter]

Are you sure that wasn't mom?

[@RedHotMessResell]

I had a similar experience with my dad when Dale Earnhardt died. And I didn’t fully understand it and then dad died 7 years later pretty rapidly from when we heard about the cancer. It’s so weird to look back on those defining moments and how they fit into place in a lifetime

[@mikethespike056]

​@@TheLucidSpecter what

[@WolfPrideProductions]

I was only 8, I wanted to be an astronaut, had my helmet on and everything when I watched it live. I don't remember a whole lot, I remember the excitement with my toy shuttle in hand, my visor kept falling, and I couldn't wait for the return. I wanted to be like like Laurel Clark, as a little girl she was a great role model, with all of her achievements how could she not be. Watched my role model die on TV, kind of broke my dream of being an astronaut, but I still watch the stars and think of the crew. It's always going to be one of those distant memories you never forget for me.

[@countproductions6553]

WolfPrideProductions wow. this really hit home for me. 😢

[@ThinkPIONEERing]

To never let your dreams die is a difficult undertaking especially under circumstances such as these... I hope that one day your dream is re-captured in a similar way, shape, form, and /or opportunity....

[@nunyabiz7473]

Hopefully with SpaceX, you can still travel to the stars one day :)

[@thetoad8253]

WolfPrideProductions you should continue to pursue that dream of yours. Achieving your goals will have to come with failure and tradegy. Continue pursuing your dream of becoming an astronaut, don’t let any failure or tradegy stop you, it’s just how life is.

[@gypsytricia]

So surreal to watch it actually breaking apart before our eyes...that it was caught on video...and this was the end of those poor souls right exactly here. I remember watching just minutes before as it went overhead and I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. How truly, truly heartbreaking.

[@___P___H___T___M___]

I remember being in the third grade when this happened. Our teacher was a huge NASA fan and she started crying while telling my class about Earth's atmosphere; and what happens during a space shuttle's re-entry. Very sad day that we don't remember often enough.

[@STSRTF]

I was 10 years old when this happened and I remember it very well. Columbia would have flown to the ISS for the first time in November 2003 had it not disintegrated.

[@Doxymeister]

I was in my 40's then. I still remember, a bit like 9/11, where I was when it happened--walking back up to the house from feeding the horses, getting ready to leave for work. This was my first time living under the flight path of the shuttles, so when I heard the boom, I thought at first it was just a sonic boom from the speed, but the flash gave me a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach. Of course, by the time I got to work it was on the news. What a terrible day, sad day. Have been a big fan of NASA and love anything to do with space, and this just broke my heart.

[@93seronica]

I was also in the 3rd grade when this happened and I remember seeing live footage of the shuttle falling to earth on the news

[@renegadeoffunk32]

I can still remember being 14yo in school in the UK and coming into my boarding house after lunch to watch the landing on the news and turning the TV on to see those images. Heartbreaking.

[@michaelscott-joynt3215]

It was hard walking in to astronomy class on Monday. The way the teacher sort of hung her head that day is a sad memory I won't forget.

[@domersftw1503]

People say it was punishment for Iraq war on america.

[@KathrynRoberts60]

Between the Challenger and Columbia I still can't wrap my head around the horror they went through.💔

[@jaygosev3589]

Challenger crew fell for two minutes. Still alive the entire way down. Columbia crew died INSTANTLY. The split second after the crew compartment depressurized. They didn't even have time to lower their visors. Snap. Instant. They never knew what hit em

[@KC______]

@@jaygosev3589 Theoretically that is how it happens. Nobody knows what it is like to die (except Jesus Christ), I don't think (and for my own sake I hope not) the dead know or remember what it's like to die. On the Strength 💪🗽✊🇺🇸

[@majorphysics3669]

@@KC______ what he means is they were instantly dead, no suffering.

[@majorphysics3669]

@@jaygosev3589 I think with challenger the crew was unconscious for most of it.

[@sammencia7945]

Challenger some alive all way down from 45k feet. Impact with ocean at 300mph was what did it. Columbia the g-forces from spinning woukd have caused all to blackout. Ejection into upper atmosphere at 17000mph would leave no trace. Only helmets survived. A few remains but not of everyone.

[@TomHill-xh7ec]

Amazing to hear the difference in news coverage from 2003. Deliberately saying that they're not drawing conclusions, simply describing what they're seeing, then filling in details as they come in.

[@kerrywillis9098]

Right??!! What has happened in journalism over the last 20 years is astounding!!

[@corettaha7855]

Wow I’m really proud of the restraint of the reporters in this coverage. Nowadays they’d be reporting everyone was killed and visiting their parents to get first scoop of watching their families react to live news of the deaths of their family members before even confirming anything. How far the news media have sunk from these glory days of breaking news! RIP Columbia shuttle crew.

[@policerthought5649]

The fact that you're using this tragedy to push your anti-media agenda is sickening. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@rfi-cryptolab4251]

@@policerthought5649 It's the truth. The mainstream media is all about fear and control.

[@reminiscer15]

Honestly in this situation it wouldn't be a problem to come to that conclusion, seeing a shuttle break apart like that would leave anyone with no hope. It would not have been just making assumptions, it would have been stating the sad realistic truth and it can be done in a tactful way as well.

[@leecowell8165]

Coretta you nailed it. The news nowadays is absolutely disgusting. Embellishing the truth? Not quite they outright LIE! I no longer watch it.

[@denverb585]

@@policerthought5649 no. He shouldn't be ashamed. You should be ashamed for your comment. The media today sensationalizes. Media, at the time, reported.

[@slickburrito]

"It looks like you can see pieces of the Shuttle coming off--we can confirm that the Shuttle is...behind schedule" Hearing those words brings tears to my eyes. You can tell that they knew the crew was killed, but the hope and humanity in them wouldn't let them accept it. I was just a kid but I vividly remember tuning in on that Saturday morning and watching this unfold.

[@peabody3000]

pretty crazy that at 13:15, the exact cause of the accident is announced in detail just minutes after the disaster. it wasn't really publicly known but must have been a big deal the whole time for the press to be so well acquainted

[@PointReflex]

Yeah, not knowing it at the time, that guy was right on the money.

[@srinitaaigaura]

It was common sense. Everyone knew it. That was a mighty big impact. The rest of the investigation was all about getting the details.

[@peabody3000]

@R J i didn't even hint that it was confirmation, and i didn't twist his words in any way at all

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

@@srinitaaigaura Literally 0% of your comment is accurate, bud.

[@BostonsF1nest]

Because the cause of the accident happened during take off 2 weeks prior. Insulation from the rocket booster fell off and punctured the wing. They made it to space despite this. Ppl in NASA knew the day after the launch when they analyzed the tape but never told the crew because they refused to believe foam insulation could make a hole in the shuttle. Even if the astronauts did know- there was nothing they could do.

[@WWF0928]

February 1, 2003-February 1, 2023 Twenty years ago today RIP to the crew of Columbia

[@TheFactFactory-ECT]

It's crazy to know that everyone knows what happened as soon as they saw the video yet no one said it till NASA did. I will never forget going in my back yard in Texas to watch and see it break apart. I was 13 and knew immediately

[@markherring3513]

Wow..u watched it happen from your backyard..thats surreal.

[@mikemud3216]

Back when being right was more important than being first.

[@blaster915]

I remember when this happened, I lived in Florida at the time as a kid and my dad took me outside as we would always go out to hear the sonic boom of the shuttle flying overhead. I'll never forget the change of look on my dad's face when the boom never came, and mum came out to tell us to come in and watch the news.

[@clamcrewcarclub6017]

Well you probably wouldn’t have heard the boom even if nothing went wrong, considering it was landing in Texas lol

[@OX3YMORON]

@@clamcrewcarclub6017the shuttle was actually en route to land at the kennedy space center in Canaveral.

[@miss.g-shun-w]

I was 19 years old living in Dallas. My mom, our beautician and myself were walking into her hair salon, when we heard a distant but loud BOOM. We all assumed it was a dump truck emptying a large trash dumpster or something similar. Later that day when I saw the time stamp of when it disintegrated, I realized what that booming noise was. I'll never forget where I was that day.

[@GuessHowSid]

This is incredible footage. They caught the exact moment of shuttle breakup.

[@chrisbeatty9280]

I was living in Northeast Texas at the time. I will never forget this day at all. I was laying in the bed, and then heard a loud boom that shook the whole house for about 30 seconds. I remember the boom was so loud that the earth was shaking, and the trees were blowing down to the ground like something was pushing them. Anybody living in that area at the time can still remember where they were when this happened. I thought the Lord had come back when I heard this noise.

[@tonyk501]

Sonic booms?

[@ricardospaniard9050]

I remember that sound too. I was living about 40 miles north of Dallas at the time. It sounded like a trash truck dropping a dumpster off the top of a parking garage. Woke me out of a sound sleep. I thought I imagined it and drifted back to sleep. Woke up later and it was all over the news. Never forgot that sound.

[@ttispoetic9303]

Yes the shaking I will never forget that

[@princedarkness8029]

Watching the video knowing that these are the crews final moments just heartbreking

[@leokimvideo]

I really hope NETFLIX do a doco on this avoidable Space Shuttle accident.

[@Vince77777777]

Both Shuttle losses were avoidable...

[@spaceman9599]

This SECOND avoidable Space Shuttle accident, and after another near miss too :/

[@tweetdreams2674]

They did

[@hectorvega4221]

@@tweetdreams2674 that was for the challenger disaster not this one

[@youravaragejoe5102]

This was not avoidable... The moment the foam piece pierced the RCC panel it was the beginning of the end for Columbia here was not coming back

[@STSRTF]

This happened exactly 18 years ago today.

[@Betternow1974]

They were almost home😢😭😭😭😭

[@jasonrjohnston]

Yup. Now they really are home.

[@eddiecongdon8017]

@MI6 I read that they had about 41 seconds of knowing there was a problem

[@writerchick10]

@@eddiecongdon8017 Well yeah, the orbiter was spinning out of control & they certainly attempted to regain control of the shuttle before losing consciousness.

[@mickfunny4185]

MI6 NASA could’ve launched another shuttle to attempt and transfer the Columbia crew, while in orbit. There was enough oxygen (about 2 weeks worth left) and they could’ve just left the Columbia to stay in orbit forever, but no, they didn’t even try,

[@aaroncushinberry1030]

@@eddiecongdon8017Some of NASA's higher ups knew but decided not to tell the crew or Mission Control!

[@ryanleclaire3948]

Remember watching this live when i was 11 with my mother. Quite haunting when i think about it. Journalism and media seemed so pure and right, even then. Pure, patient, waiting for the truth.

[@terrythomas1329]

For a first breaking coverage story, you did an excellent job. Hope you are all going strong!

[@rey_nemaattori]

I cried when I heard this news. Being absolutely infatuated with space and space travel, as soon as I saw pieces coming apart, I knew it would be a death sentence with the speeds involved. Rest in Piece crew, your sacrifice will never be forgotten .0>

[@gunner2gunner]

I saw Columbia first lunch in Florida on April 12, 1981. I was at White Sands New Mexico when she landed there on March 30, 1982. I remember thinking how cool it was to be the daughter of a Air Force Colonel. Then to come full circle, to be living in Texas seeing Columbia break apart on February 1, 2003 was heartbreaking for me. I had hoped in seeing Columbia streak across the Texas blue sky would bring a little joy to my day. It would of been my husband and I’s 8th wedding anniversary, but he passed away in August of 2000. Now I can’t think of my wedding anniversary without thinking of Columbia and her Crew of 7 and their families.

[@allanbrogdon7453]

My father called from Grapevine my hometown and told me he was watching the shuttle break up from his yard.

[@chelo4197]

So, you heard it through the grapevine?

[@strangementalitypaperYT]

I saw this happen all those years ago. I *vividly* recall it it broke into chunks and remember thinking it was so cool to look at. I didn't know anything was wrong when it was happening. It's so disturbing to look back at that moment and realize I witnessed seven people die when I was ten.

[@Tahkaullus01]

What's more disturbing is that, one day, Hollywood will make a film about it purely for the spectacle and forgetting that nothing about what happened that day was anything to be excited about.

[@kevinm2365]

Rest In Peace to those who lost their lives and my condolences to their families

[@donpowlen]

I remember watching this on tv. CNN wasn’t reporting this yet but WFAA was. I remember the sonic booms in the sky. Very surreal...

[@paulsonj72]

Once CNN got on the air their coverage was outstanding. What helped CNN was the there space expert Miles O’Brien was already on the air that morning anchoring so they didn’t have a relatively uneducated(in space flight) anchor on the air.

[@Visitor2Earth]

I was part of an R & D team for electronics in the CCMS program for the shuttle in 1980-81, Both the Challenger and the Columbia disasters hit me hard.

[@sphinxrising1129]

Sure you was😑

[@escapologistmagical5398]

@@frankovich213 love your comment. .😂😂😂

[@jamesgentry13]

@@TheAnarchySniper you failed big time

[@johnt3606]

@@TheAnarchySniper The person who posted is probably the grandpa.

[@utley]

I remember this day very well. I had just got back home from military service and had been out almost 6 months or so and had moved back to Ft Worth. They kept finding bits and pieces of the shuttle all over north texas, especially around Plano.

[@mikeanderson1722]

I had been out of the Navy about a year and was working at a steel mill in East Texas when someone came over the radio to tell us the shuttle had broken up. We put our tool bags down and ran to the supervisor's office where there was a TV and watched the footage for a while, until W came on and confirmed the loss. Several of the guys who worked out there owned land in the area and found shuttle debris that NASA later came and collected. Dunno if this story was real but one guy's father in law said he found a torso.

[@Xciss0rs]

I just found out about this horrible event from my mother who said on the day I was born a shuttle blew up and so I did a little research that lead me here. My heart goes out to the fallen heroes that lost their lives.. I can not imagine what it was like in that space shuttle in those last moments, may they rest in peace ❤

[@TheGreatBigMove]

I appreciate how professional this news anchor sounds (at least at the beginning of this video). Stark contrast with the hysteria we often see from the media in 2019.

[@honkhonk8009]

True. Fox and Cnn are national disgraces.

[@micmac99]

I lived in Dallas at this time and watched this very coverage live. I believe these anchors had only a little while earlier finished anchoring the regularly scheduled morning news program, and went right back on the air. Also listened to the coverage on KRLD Radio. Very sad day.

[@katiefogler-fl6nz]

I was 8 years old sitting at a local diner with my mother and my uncle when this happened on live news. I remember feeling absolutely devastated because several months earlier my mother and I had made a trip to NASA while making our yearly summer trip to visit family on Merritt Island. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of these brave astronauts for a brief moment. I was too young to remember the details of how or why we were able to. They were at a distance, but waved and smiled to us as they carried on. Throughout the broadcast, I kept saying, “Well, we learned they have ways to rescue themselves…so they’ll be okay.” And my uncle looked at me and said, “Katie, that shuttle is in too many pieces to have any survivors left.” I was glued to the tv all day hoping for any shred of evidence they were alive. Around 7PM that day I heard as CNN announced a bystander finding piece of a helmet and ear in a median of a highway. I have never heard that mentioned or confirmed since. But it was sure seared into my memory.

[@kj12351]

Hope they did not feel a thing. I salut you brave astronauts! To give your life to what you love demands respect. You may be gone but you're not forgotten. May you rest in peace.

[@Krakenslayer23]

Apparently the 3 on the upper deck were conscious for about 41 seconds after pressure loss

[@mrandersen6872]

@@Krakenslayer23 how could you know this?

[@russellhamner4898]

Some people call them SPACE COWBOYS, but I prefer to think of them as gangsters of love.

[@itunesjoe]

@@mrandersen6872 sorry this is late nasa had lots data all over the shuttle and the crew

[@chad735]

Some were conscious for a bit

[@ddtex4954]

I saw the shuttle in the sky that morning, after a Saturday AM workout. I was on my way to my friend's house and didn't even realize that a shuttle was coming home. I will never forget how it looked in the sky. I don't recall that i saw it breaking up, just that it was beautiful and i felt so happy to see it.

[@martinh88]

"Behind schedule" must be one of the biggest understatements in the history of space exploration.

[@totalchaos5566]

the last minutes of their lives in the footage from inside the shuttle was haunting.

[@KalmanBorbely]

"If we die we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life. Our God-given curiosity will force us to go there ourselves because in the final analysis, only man can fully evaluate the moon in terms understandable to other men" Gus Grissom

[@wolf2468]

Except this was pretty preventable. The orbiter they used wasn't supposed to be in flight this many times, and the foam insulator that broke off was out of bounds with the models the engineers prepared to measure the amount of damage it would cause to the heat shielding. While it was in orbit, they had a powerpoint delivered to management that said flight conditions was out of bounds for their model and unfortunately, probably only people who were literate in technicalities would understand that it had turned into a life threatening situation, i.e. management probably didn't understand it was a life threatening situation, and the engineers didn't convey it well enough. The only reason the orbiter was pushed this many times to flight was because the satellite was behind deadline and it needed to be finished. What's more, after 1989 when they completed the investigation for the failed Challenger mission, they released a statement that said, the chances of a space shuttle accident would be 50/50 within 34 flights. It just so happens Columbia was the 34th flight. They just didn't realize that it was too late until after they saw the foam debris fly off, calculate probabilities, and watched it disintegrate upon re-entry.

[@hugorewucki8386]

wolf2468 this was the the 28th flight of Columbia and the 112th space shuttle mission, the orbiters had a lifespan of 100 flights

[@JRobbySh]

RIP.

[@jamesgentry13]

@@hugorewucki8386 id say the shuttles have had a very successful and safe track record considering how launch and re entery are the 2 worst parts

[@brad9956]

Almost 16 years ago. Sixteen. They also mentioned Challenger. THIRTY THREE YEARS AGO next month. Time does indeed fly - I remember both like they happened yesterday....

[@DCD4Ever]

And days apart too! 😲👆 Challenger - January 28, 1986 (on this day). Columbia - February 1, 2003.

[@markg999]

I'm 40 and remember both days very well.

[@rinny02852]

I remember watching the news, going out to my back porch, and just staring at the sky. Like many people my age, I remember exactly where I was when the Challenger disaster happened. I just started crying, and my daughter came out and asked me why I was crying. The memories of Challenger were flooding back, and I just looked at her and said, "I never thought I'd experience this again in my lifetime." Our hearts were broken all over again.

[@artchic528]

I remember that day. Nearly every channel covered this. At first I didn't understand at first seeing the pictures and footage, but I soon realized the gravity of the situation. I then said a small prayer to the astronauts and their families to bring them peace in such a hard time. I knew astronauts risk their lives the moment they strap themselves into the ship, preparing to take off, or land. I knew that they and their families knew the risk, but still, these brave astronauts are heroes and will be remembered always for their ultimate sacrifice. They now are forever orbiting the earth, and I'd like to think they are somehow protecting the current astronauts in some way shape or form and making sure these men and women get the chance they never got to go home.

[@safe-keeper1042]

Norwegian here, lived in Houston for three years from '01 to '04. What I remember best about this tragedy is that the following day at school, no one talked about it. Which surprised me at the time, but most of us told me just how hard it hit everyone.

[@internetabyss]

I saw it go above me, thought it was a meteor shower or something, turned out to be the shuttle.

[@meyakabrown4725]

😢

[@周攀-r4e]

That is sad😭

[@JerryAsbury1985]

Very heartbreaking.

[@dllmpb06]

I was on the shuttle debris recovery team and unfortunately located a body part inside a helmet. I won't say how badly I was haunted by such a site .

[@BLACKAAROW]

How much of the bodies and shuttle did they ever recover ?

[@TheStranger513]

It's so strange but this is like a forgotten memory to me until I watch the video and see 2003.

[@BryanM61]

I worked on a Shuttle mission as a contractor to the Air Force. Even by the mid-80's, NASA flight operations were dominated by managers, who had little technical expertise and even less faith in the engineers and technicians who best understood the operational and safety aspects of flight. This was certainly a contributing factor to Challenger (which happened while I was at work one room over from the Air Force's backup mission control center), and was later to be a determining factor in the Columbia accident.

[@1f5sda]

I was celebrating my 12th birthday that day. When the news broke, I was sorry for the astronauts and their families and friends.

[@glamourchick21]

I was a teenager when this happened, a junior or senior in high school. This is one of those weird incidents that tests my confidence in the accuracy of my memories. When I think back to hearing about the incident, I picture a classroom and these images on a television-except that the classroom I always pictured was a classroom at my middle school. Not only did I graduate middle school in 2000, but my middle school did not have TVs in the classrooms, unlike my high school. Not to mention that I looked it up, and this all took place on a Saturday, when I wouldn’t have been at school anyway. Honestly, I just looked up this footage to try to jog a few genuine memories.

[@electronicguy420]

I was dead when this happened😭

[@felicia3513]

I remember watching this.... so sad. On the 50th anniversary of the famous moonwalk by Neil Armstrong and his crew...all I can think of is this tragic day.

[@TigerWoodsDUIcrash]

I remember this day perfectly. My dad tries to mask this sadness and loss of hope by trying to keep our family busy like going out to eat and to putt put golf, etc.... Space is our last frontier to conquer. And seeing this happens just blimishes those hopes. Hope to see it happen in my lifetime.

[@moneymitch6790]

80% ocean still a mystery

[@gmnavarra]

I was in 5th grade and grew up about 45 minutes from Cape Canaveral, so I had seen just every shuttle launch from my front yard and heard nearly every sonic boom upon the shuttle’s return. I don’t remember exactly what I was doing that morning but I remember going somewhere with my dad and when we came back home we turned the TV on and learned about what happened. Still very heartbreaking even 20 years later.

[@ksk1818]

I wasn't even a year old when this happened, but the subject of space has fascinated me since childhood. Watching the final moments of the crew on youtube 20+ years later was heartbreaking. RIP brave souls, you are very dearly missed by millions.

[@dchang11]

I remember that morning. It was a rainy day in suburban Philadelphia. We were at Radnor High School preparing for the Chinese New Year festivities. My father took me to McDonalds during our lunch break. We were passing by Villanova University when KYW informed us about the tragedy. I didn't understand what was happening and my father said the shuttle Columbia exploded.

[@jeremybr2020]

I still remember this day rather vividly. I live and worked (at the time) in the DFW area as a medic for the ambulance service in Fort Worth. And while on duty it came over the radio about Columbia breaking apart. And when I looked up I could clearly see the smoke trails going right across the sky. It was a very eerie and rather depressing moment. I do find it fascinating the difference between the shots of the mission control room with everyone being so calm and non-chaotic, compared to how it would be shown in a Hollywood movie with there being borderline pandemonium.

[@nopcshere6097]

Like you, I was working for an ambulance service, in Surrey, B.C., Canada, on that day. I came into work at 6 am and these images were on the TV. It was all anyone was watching that day.

[@leecowell8165]

Well its not smoke but plasma but point taken. pretty scary sight I would Imagine.

[@jeremybr2020]

@@leecowell8165 Plasma? It's a burning aircraft falling from the sky. What do you mean by plasma? I just looked up the definition of plasma and I don't see any part of it that suggests that it takes on a form that resembles a smoke trail. So perhaps you can clarify your comment. I'm not outright calling you wrong. But I'm failing to see how what your suggesting is factual.

[@lepperkin]

@@leecowell8165 The plasma is the extremely hot part around the spacecraft. The trails are smoke or dust or whatever.

[@enidrhee-grimes7621]

I was 11 when this happened. I think this happened on a Saturday, because I remember getting out of a basketball game and hearing this on the radio.

[@Yeager123123]

Enid Rhee-Grimes Same. It was a weekend. I woke up and saw the video playing of it breaking up.

[@hurkydoesntknow]

@@Yeager123123 I remember it being a Saturday. I had no school that day and remember doing what I normally did on Saturdays.

[@davidca96]

I was 8 when Challenger exploded, it made me incredibly sad especially because a teacher was onboard. We were excited to see her lesson from space, but never got to.. Colombia made all that come back vividly.

[@hurkydoesntknow]

@@davidca96 I wasn't born yet when the Challenger exploded but I can't imagine the heartbreak you all felt when you witnessed the explosion.

[@JimDrews]

O

[@glorysun84]

I was a senior in high school when we lost space shuttle Columbia. I still remember hearing what sounded like a car back firing not realizing it was the shuttle breaking apart overhead.

[@katej23]

I remember being at church in Australia that morning. I was a teenager and never got up too early so I hadn’t heard any news, and during the morning service our minister asked us all to pray for the families of the Columbia victims. I started crying right there as I hadn’t heard about the failure.

[@cindytartt4048]

No hype, simple dignity, no rush to be the ‘first to report.’ Just a clear, factual explanation. Very sad day for the families, for NASA & for the future of the Shuttle programme. ❤

[@ln5321]

Coverage if this happened today: "Breaking news as space shuttle Colombia BLOWS UP killing everyone on board! With us now are our top political correspondents here to discuss the question on all Americans' minds right now: why did Trump do this to the astronauts and will this lead to his impeachment?"

[@ronaldmanning1907]

You are not even joking

[@joehilbert5714]

Dude get off the crack

[@MattExzy]

"Feminists are OUTRAGED, as rockets look like PENISES"

[@lilkris3008]

You are all horrible people go to your useless political videos to complain show some respect you wine about the news networks but you are the problem on both sides a shame you can call yourselves Americans

[@captainteeko4579]

Or: WHY DID DEMS DO THIS?? WAS IT TO DESTROY TRUMP SUPPORTERS?

[@HighwayLand]

I was 23 when this happened. My cousin was an astronaut, Tamara Jernigan, and she flew on the Columbia. After a few phone calls I found out that she retired from NASA just a couple years prior to that. She came to my school career day when I was 12, and I gained some heavy brownie points having her around. RIP to the crew of Columbia, it's one day I will never forget.

[@adarshmalodia302]

Hellooo... I am 23 right now, can you tell me about your life, in these 20 years, as now you'd be 43.. did your life turned out the way you had expected? What regrets do you have if any or any thing that you do think that you would have done it somewhat differently?

[@_Lindsey_Beth_]

These reporters handled this very well, a horrible thing to witness. I remember where I was and how I reacted when this news broke, a very sad day.

[@CBO2322]

I’m 27 now and still remember being in 1st grade watching this exact news report on that particular Saturday morning with my parents. They were loyal to Channel 8 and we were all glued to the tv, just like we were with 9/11

[@juliamihajlovich]

Can you imagine watching this as a family member of one of the Astronauts? 💔

[@johnny1963ify]

Nope.

[@ClydeXactive]

Literally heart 💔😭 in front of you . so sad even all the years later

[@lj5190]

Perhaps even more devastating than the Columbia actually breaking up, is knowing that the cause of the disaster occurred just 82 seconds after launch when a piece of foam broke away from the launch tower and struck the shuttle’s left wing, creating damage that would cause its destruction on reentry. The crew were dead 82 seconds after liftoff and spent the next 16 days oblivious to it.

[@peeperleviathan2839]

Sorry if this sounds rude but the foam wasn’t from the launch tower is was from the external fuel tank

[@lj5190]

@@peeperleviathan2839 Not rude at all. Thanks for the correction!

[@oahts5906]

This hits different. Humans pushing the bounds of what’s possible with our discoveries, and in the process mistakes are made. Rest In Peace space cowboys of the Colombia shuttle.

[@jacoballen3267]

I was at Parris Island going through boot camp for the Marines on this day. I was completely oblivious to this, because we only received letters in the mail as correspondence. No television or radio, so I didn’t know what was going on until our base chaplain mentioned it at the next Sunday service. I didn’t know what he was talking about until I asked a Navy doctor when I went in for a dental appointment, and the utter shock hit me. After seeing two launches at KSC before going to boot, I was VERY impressed and in awe of the shuttle and rocketry in general. Never forgot how I felt when I was told of this devastating news

[@Moose6340]

0:36 and following is just painful to watch. You're literally watching seven people die as the Columbia breaks up.

[@phml123]

You think they where alive in the beginning of the video? Before 0:36, i'm wondering If this footage is the right moment they ALL died..so sad

[@LinYouToo]

I remember this like it was yesterday. I had gone out for an early breakfast and when I jumped in my car and put the radio on it was just breaking on the news that there was potential trouble with the space shuttle. I couldn’t believe it and still can’t to this day. May they all rest in peace.

[@JulieR73]

I remember hearing it when it happened. It was so loud!

[@knobdikker]

I was out of work sick that day and watched this as it happened on WFAA.

[@xLSU0408x]

I was on my way to Odessa, TX (from Shreveport, LA) and right around Fort Worth when my coworker pointed out what looked like something green and glowing coming down through the sky. Didn't know what it was until I saw the news later that evening.

[@GetFitReedman]

Those poor souls. The terror that they experienced must have been horrible. RIP

[@XcuddleXbearX11]

Parts of the pieces feel near where I used to live...at the time I lived in Corsicana, TX and our whole house shooked as if an earthquake was about to happen but was later told that it was the Space Shuttle Colombia's pieces that fell.

[@courtneywalter9681]

Who's here after seeing Netflix's Challenger doc? 🙋🏾‍♂️

[@thatonegir3138]

Me I liked it but very sad

[@nataliebundy7415]

I am

[@marcussheen]

Yep. I remember seeing this one live. I never normally watched shuttle launches/landings, but for some reason watched this and as soon as I saw one line become several I knew something had gone terribly wrong. I hope Netflix do a documentary about this too.

[@christinaknauss4390]

Just watched the Challenger doc today.

[@wickandrews8320]

Courtney Walter Lol definitely me! I followed this as a kid though.

[@EsseQuamViderity]

I saw this over my house in Texas. It was so loud it shook the windows as it went over.

[@StephenLuke]

RIP Rick Husband (1957-2003) William C. McCool (1961-2003) Michael P. Anderson (1959-2003) Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003) David M. Brown (1958-2003) Laurel Clark (1961-2003) and Ilan Ramon (1954-2003)

[@rachelgibson1858]

"Damage to those heat tiles. Believed to be minor...." Boy was NASA wrong.

[@courtneywright2549]

NASA was just saving their own butts. They knew that shuttle wouldn’t make it back.

[@terrybardy2848]

Yes, at it cost the astronauts their lives.

[@kyokogodai-ir6hy]

Just read the other day that NASA knew the shuttle was doomed, but didn't want the astronauts to know. Reason being it was better for them to die during re-entry, that to suffer in orbit dying of asphyxiation.

[@ksiyaskid]

@@kyokogodai-ir6hy was there really nothing they can do, though?

[@Steelburgh]

@@ksiyaskid The followup investigation showed that Atlantis could've been used for a rescue mission. It was nearly launch ready at the time.

[@johnharrington6122]

Columbia flew over my Home in Albuquerque’ s N. Valley that morning ! So sad! John

[@freddi4901]

It’s so sad that we are looking at a little plane going super fast filled with people who know they are dead and people on the ground knowing they can’t do anything

[@TheChapelx]

I remember watching this unfold live. Can't believe it's been 20 years already

[@OneLastHitB4IGo]

Taking into consideration all the technical items involved with putting the shuttles up in space and bringing them down again it was a miracle that we only lost 2 of them throughout the entire life of the program.

[@BevanJovan]

6:21 Al Pacino makes a surprise guest appearance.

[@360zm4]

Guest appearance? No, he was just an extra in this particular show. I guess.