Editing Space Shuttle Columbia (section)

===Markings and insignia===
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| image1            = B747 with Space Shuttle on it from above.jpg
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| image2            = Endeavour after STS-126 on SCA over Mojave from above.jpg
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| caption2          = Overhead views of ''Columbia'' (top) and ''[[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour]]'' (bottom)
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''Columbia'' was the only operational orbiter with black [[Chine (aeronautics)|chines]]. These were added because at first, shuttle designers did not know how reentry heating would affect the craft's upper wing surfaces.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} The chines allowed ''Columbia'' to be easily recognized at a distance, unlike the subsequent orbiters. The black chines were a late modification and were a high temperature paint over the white FRSI. The chines were modified on ''Columbia'' shortly before rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building in late 1980 for STS-1. The only other orbiter with black chines was ''[[Space Shuttle Pathfinder|Pathfinder]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Stock Photo - Space Shuttle Pathfinder |url=https://www.alamy.com/space-shuttle-pathfinder-image255442853.html |website=Alamy}}</ref> but it was a cosmetic [[test article (aerospace)|test article]] and only gained it when was refurbished.

Additionally, until its last refit, ''Columbia'' was the only operational orbiter with wing markings consisting of an [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] on the port (left) wing and the letters "USA" on the starboard (right) wing. ''[[Space Shuttle Challenger|Challenger]]'', ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]'', ''[[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Atlantis]]'', and ''[[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour]]'' all, until 1998, bore markings consisting of the letters "USA" above an American flag on the left-wing, and the pre-1998 [[NASA insignia#NASA "worm" logotype|NASA "worm" logotype]] afore the respective orbiter's name on the right-wing. ''[[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Enterprise]]'', the test vehicle which was the prototype for ''Columbia'', originally had the same wing markings as ''Columbia'' but with white chines and the "USA" letters on the right-wing spaced closer together. ''Enterprise'''s markings were modified to match ''Challenger'' in 1983. The name of the orbiter was originally placed on the payload bay doors much like ''Enterprise'' but was placed on the crew cabin after the ''Challenger'' disaster so that the orbiter could be easily identified while in orbit.

From its last refit following the conclusion of STS-93 to its destruction, ''Columbia'' bore markings identical to those of its operational sister orbiters–the [[NASA insignia#NASA "meatball" insignia|NASA "meatball" insignia]] on the left-wing and the American flag afore the orbiter's name on the right-wing. ''Columbia'' only flew twice with these markings, STS-109 and STS-107.