Space Shuttle Columbia
The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space-qualified NASA space shuttle and the first reusable spacecraft. Completed in March 1979, the maiden flight took place on 12 April 1981 ( STS -1). The internal name is OV- 102, OV stands for Orbiter Vehicle. She broke on 1 February 2003, in her 28th deployment in space, during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere apart, all seven crew members were killed (see article STS -107 ).
The Space Shuttle was - as the exploration ship of the American sailor Robert Gray and the command module of Apollo 11 - named after the poetic name of North America from the 18th century. Columbia was also the feminine personification of the United States.
History
On April 12, 1981, graduated from Columbia with the flight STS -1 the first use of a space shuttle in space under the command of John Young. It was the first time in NASA's history that a new spacecraft without previous unmanned test was started. Apart from damage to the heat shield tiles but the first flight of a space shuttle went smoothly.
The following four space shuttle flights were also conducted with the Columbia. Among the later missions included the third Hubble Servicing Mission STS -109 as well as the German D2 mission with the Spacelab. Since she could wear something less payload due to its heavier construction and not equipped with a docking adapter for the International Space Station, it was last used mainly for the few missions that did not lead to the ISS.
The Columbia was returning from its 28th mission (STS -107 ) to the Kennedy Space Center, the U.S. space station when they on 1 February 2003 to 8:59 clock local time ( 14:59 CET clock ) in about 63.13 kilometers ( 207 135 feet) altitude over Texas at a speed of about Mach 18.3 or 20117 km / h broke apart. This was caused by overheating of the wings inside to softening of the material, caused by a hole in the heat shield, which had been caused by a torn-off at the start of foam part. In this case, all seven crew members lost their lives, among them Commander Rick Husband.
The Columbia is the second after the Challenger space shuttle that NASA has lost during a mission.