Columbia departed Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 16, 2003 on its 28th mission. Columbia was the first shuttle to fly into orbit in 1981. Prior to this departure Columbia's last flight was on March 1, 2002.
With a crew of seven consisting of :
Commander Rick D. Husband 45, making his second trip into space, the U. S. Air Force Colonel and mechanical engineer piloted a shuttle flight in 1999, which included the first docking with the international space station.
Pilot William C. McCool 40, former test pilot making his first trip into space. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Navy Commander his responsibilities included the maneuvering of he shutttle as part of several experiments.
Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson 42, was on his second trip into space with the responsibilities of the shuttles science mission. The U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and physicist was part of the 1998 shuttle flight that docked with the Russian space station Mir.
Mission Specialist David M. Brown 46 a U.S. Navy Captain, was on his first space flight. An aviator and flight surgeon he worked on many experiments, including numerous biological ones.
Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla 42, earned an aerospace engineering degree from the University of Colorado. She had spent more then 375 hours in space and in a 1997 shuttle flight was the prime robotics operator.
Mission Specialist Laurel Clark 41, on her first flight assisting and taking part in a variety of biological experiments. A U.S. Navy Commander and flight surgeon she was a medical school graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon 47, was the first Israeli astronaut. A Colonel and former fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force.
This fine group of men and women having had a successful mission were returning on February 1, 2003 for the planned 9:16 AM landing at the Kennedy Space Center when at approximately 9 AM at an altitude of 207,000 feet traveling at Mach 18 lights up the sky over Texas and Louisiana. Columbia is lost and there are no survivors.
Our sky is a little brighter because there now burns seven new bright stars.
|
