NASA Clears Shuttle Endeavour Heat Shield of Concerns | Space
NASA on Saturday cleared the shuttle Endeavour's heat shield of any concerns after one last check of a gouge on its belly.
www.space.comDirect answer: The Space Shuttle that burned up on reentry was the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) in February 2003. The disaster occurred during reentry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts aboard.[9]
Additional context:
- Columbia’s breakup was caused by damage to the left wing from a foam debris impact on launch, allowing superheated air to penetrate the shuttle during reentry.[9]
- The incident led to the suspension and later redesign/mitigation efforts across NASA’s shuttle program to improve debris inspection and heat-shield integrity checks.[9]
If you’d like, I can pull together a brief timeline of the Columbia accident and its aftermath, with key investigations and policy changes.[9]