Space+shuttle+Columbia+disaster+on+February+1,+2003+-+Group+3

= //Columbia// Disaster =

==Overview== Seven astronauts with one fate and not knowing it. //Columbia// was the 88th mission since the //Challenger// was lost in January of 1986. It would be cheaper and safer to explore space with cameras and computers rather than men and women. But something would be lost as well, something brave and passionate that was sent in the messages and shown in the lives of the //Columbia// crew. The engineers who built the shuttles know that so much has to work so perfectly and with such precise timing that we should expect them to fail catastrophically every so often. NASA is America's most optimistic government agency. The //Columbia// disaster came one week after the 17th anniversary of the //Challenger//. Because of this, mission chief Rick Husband called for a moment of silence. "They made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives to their country and mankind. Their dedication was an inspiration to each of us," stated Husband during the moment of silence.

Main Point
While in space, the crew members grew bone cells and prostate-cancer cells and protein crystals, studies on the effect of dust storms on the global climates and space flight on the cardiovascular system. Pilot Willie McCool answered emails in space over NASA's website. He explained how the G-forces on takeoff feel kind of like a bear sitting on your chest. The hardest part of McCool's job was having to take blood from his fellow astronauts. //Columbia// also held the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon.

Conclusion
February 1, 2003 came and the reunions were ready, the celebrations waiting at the Kennedy Space Center, where //Columbia// was due to land. The countdown clock in Florida had counted down and then back up when the landing time had passed and the shuttle had not arrived. People watching in eastern Texas heard a crushing rumble outside and a poisonous rain of broken shuttle pieces fell onto backyards and roadsides. The //Columbia// shuttle blew up due to an unusually high temperature increase on its left side, lost a series of sensors on the left wind and then rolled unexpectedly to the left. Due to the //Columbia// disaster, NASA put space shuttle flights on hold until they determined what caused the shuttle to break apart. Human remains were found in the debris. NASA also shut down for about five years.

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References (2009-10.1.2.C)
//The space shuttle Columbia disaster//. 3 Feb. 2003. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. []. Gibbs, Nancy. "Seven Astronauts, One Fate." //Time//. 28 July 2005. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .