A decade since Kalpana Chawla left us

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on 1 February 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, including Indian American astronaut Kalpana Chawla. Debris from Columbia fell to Earth in Texas along a path stretching from Fort Worth suburb Trophy Club to Tyler, as well as into parts of Louisiana. The loss of Columbia was a result of damage sustained during launch when a piece of foam insulation the size of a small briefcase broke off from the Space Shuttle external tank under the aerodynamic forces of launch. Apart from Chawla, the other crew members on the ill-fated mission were Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, David M. Brown and Laurel Blair Salton Clark.

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The crew of Space Shuttle Columbia's mission STS-107 take a break from their training regime to pose for the traditional crew portrait. Seated in front are astronauts Rick D. Husband (L), mission commander; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing are (L to R) astronauts David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, and Michael P. Anderson, all mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist representing the Israeli ... more
The crew of Space Shuttle Columbia's mission STS-107 take a break from their training regime to pose for the traditional crew portrait. Seated in front are astronauts Rick D. Husband (L), mission commander; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing are (L to R) astronauts David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, and Michael P. Anderson, all mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist representing the Israeli Space Agency. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) less