Smokey fireballs of disaster etched its mark upon our memory Feb. 1 as Columbia, the second NASA space shuttle to explode in 17 years, burned in the sky.

The 21-year-old shuttle departed Jan. 16 for its 27th trip into space. Columbia and its crew of seven were scheduled to arrive at Cape Canaveral, Fl at 9:16 a.m. where their families awaited them.

But they never arrived.

Sometime after 9:00 a.m. NASA headquarters in Houston, Texas lost contact with the shuttle. A few moments later, white trails of smoke crawled across a clear, blue sky that resembled the appearance of a shooting star. America turned on their televisions to watch as the shuttle disintegrated.

“It makes you realize how helpless and fragile people are. I’m just shocked. I figured that since the Challenger, they had got all the bugs out of the system. It always takes a big bang before people realize they’re not invincible,” said Junior Jessica Franquiz who was at home when Columbia went down.

According to the Miami Herald, pieces of metal and human body parts scattered across an area larger than West Virginia.

The lives of seven astronauts were taken. Their families mourned later that day as the somber words of President Bush explained there were no survivors.

  The Crew

Among the astronauts were Commander Rick Husband, Copilot William McCool, Missions Specialists David Brown, Kaplana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson and Iian Ramon.

Fears of terrorism were sparked because of the presence of Ramon who was the first Israeli to enter outer space. NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe calmed any speculations and said there was no evidence of terrorism playing a role in the accident.

Ramon was excited about his first trip into space and said, “I’m kind of the proof for the whole Israeli people that whatever we fought for and we’ve been going through in the last century—or maybe in the last 2,000 years—is becoming true.”

Word of the disaster spread quickly and Israeli and American Jews expressed particular grief.“It is very sad that as soon as the first Israeli makes it to outer space, he dies before he can come home. As a Jew I hold a great amount of respect for Ramon and I have sympathy for his family,” said senior Ariel Ogen.

Space Travel is a life taking risk that astronauts knowingly accept. Space shuttles are complicated pieces of machinery with thousands of parts, which must work in sync for a mission to be successful.

The crew of Columbia also knew of the risks they were taking but felt that their cause was greater. Mission commander Rick Husband spoke of the crewmembers that lost their lives in the Challenger and Apollo and said, “They made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives to their country and mankind. Their dedication was an inspiration to us.”

Crewmember Laura Clark agreed with Husband when she said, “To me there is a lot of different things that we could do during life that could potentially harm us and I choose not to stop doing those things.”

What Happened?

When Columbia shot into space Jan. 16 a piece of insulating foam from one of its fuel tanks broke off and hit the shuttles left wing.

NASA engineers examined the video of the lift off a few times and concluded that not enough damage was done to cause any serious harm.

What they have now realized is that the foam damaged heat tiles covering the wing, which protects it from the searing heat of leaving and entering earth’s atmosphere.

Norm Carlson, a former shuttle operations chief at the Kennedy Space center said, “If [debris] hit the wing, it could cause structural damage. A wing could come off and literally melt the aluminum.”

Since the first launch of Columbia 21 years ago, NASA has known that insulating foam could fly off the fuel tanks and hit the heat protection tiles because it also happened in 1997. But they never considered it a serious threat.

According to Time magazine, another theory of disaster includes the possibility of a turbulent entrance into Earth’s atmosphere. If a pilot were to loose control of a space ship, there would be no way to regain it.

But the theory is unlikely because there was time for Commander Husband to make a distress call.

Heat tile failure was most likely the cause that went undetected.

Continued Exploration

Despite this tragic event, the message heard most often is that we must continue space travel. During his speech after Columbia exploded, President George Bush said, “While we grieve the loss of these astronauts, the cause of which they died will continue. America’s journey into space will go on.”

According to Time Magazine, NASA and supporters of space travel feel that the knowledge that can be gained through exploration will further the abilities of mankind.