Capsule full of space station junk makes fiery re-entry (Update)
A capsule filled with space station trash bit the cosmic dust Wednesday with a keenly interested scientific audience.
phys.orgDirect answer: The space shuttle that burned up during reentry is Columbia (STS-107) in 2003.
Context and details:
- Columbia disintegrated over Texas during reentry on February 1, 2003, after damage to the left wing heat shield from foam debris during ascent allowed superheated air to penetrate and destroy the orbiter .
- All seven astronauts aboard died in the disaster, which prompted a extensive investigation and long-term changes to shuttle design and safety culture .
- Notable related reentry events since then have involved other spacecraft or capsules (e.g., cargo ships and test capsules) but none matched the Columbia tragedy for a shuttle in-flight loss during atmospheric reentry .
If you’d like, I can pull up a concise timeline of STS-107 and summarize the key findings of the investigation, or provide sources for further reading.