2003 The death of the shuttle Columbia

15 years ago, on February 1, 2003, the American shuttle Columbia exploded while landing at the spaceport at Cape Canaveral (Florida). All seven crew members were killed, including the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon.

The cause of the disaster was overheating and destruction of the left wing when entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. This was due to the fact that during the launch of the shuttle, the thermal insulation of the external fuel tank was damaged, fragments of which damaged the thermal insulation of the left wing, which led to its destruction. NASA experts were unable to adequately assess this damage and did not expect a catastrophe.