The Columbia disaster was the breakup of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003, that claimed the lives of all seven astronauts on board. The incident occurred just minutes before it was to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cause of the disaster was a piece of insulating foam that broke loose from the shuttle’s external propellant tank and struck the leading edge of the left wing soon after liftoff, damaging protective tiles. During Columbia’s atmospheric reentry, hot gases penetrated the damaged tile section and melted major structural elements of the wing, which eventually collapsed.
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