Mission Control lost communications with the Space Shuttle Columbia as it descended toward the Kennedy Space center in Florida. At approximately 12,500 miles per hour (Mach 18) and 200,000ft over Central Texas, only 16 minutes before planned touchdown, the Columbia shuttle disintegrates into a myriad of burning debris pieces, killing everybody in the seven-member crew. Review of the Columbia mission data again revealed problems with the Solid Rocket Booster and Shuttle's Main Engine nozzles. Foam debris, generated by the enormous vibrations that occur during takeoff due to the nature of the propulsion system, struck the shuttle's left wing damaging part of its complex heat shield, leading to the fatal accident.
             "The physical cause of the loss of Columbia and its crew was a breach in the Thermal Protection System on the leading edge of the left wing. The breach was initiated by a piece of insulating foam that separated from the left bipod ramp of the External Tank and struck the wing in the vicinity of the lower half o Reinforced Carbon-Carbon panel 8 at 81.9 seconds after launch. During re-entry, this breach in the Thermal Protection System allowed superheated air to penetrate the leading-edge insulation and progressively melt the aluminum structure of the left wing, resulting in a weakening of the structure until increasing aerodynamic forces caused loss of control, failure of the wing, and breakup of the Orbiter." (CAIB)
             Challenger's explosion shortly after launch and Columbia's failure to return home is a cruel reminder that the Shuttle is not at the required security level, nor is it a space
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