Editing Space Shuttle program (section)

=== STS-107 (''Columbia'', 2003) ===
{{main|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster}}
[[File:STS-107, final moments in cabin (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster).webm|thumb|Video of ''Columbia''{{'}}s final moments, filmed by the crew.]]
[[File:Thermal protection system inspections from ISS - Shuttle nose.jpg|thumb|right|Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' as it approaches the International Space 
Station during [[STS-114]] on July 28, 2005. This was the Shuttle's "return to flight" mission after the ''Columbia'' disaster]]
The Shuttle program operated accident-free for seventeen years and 88 missions after the ''Challenger'' disaster, until [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' broke up on reentry]], killing all seven crew members, on February 1, 2003. The [[ultimate cause]] of the accident was a piece of foam separating from the external tank moments after liftoff and striking the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing, puncturing one of the reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels that covered the wing edge and protected it during reentry. As ''Columbia'' reentered the atmosphere at the end of an otherwise normal mission, hot gas penetrated the wing and destroyed it from the inside out, causing the orbiter to lose control and disintegrate.

After the ''Columbia'' disaster, the International Space Station operated on a skeleton crew of two for more than two years and was serviced primarily by Russian spacecraft. While the "Return to Flight" mission [[STS-114]] in 2005 was successful, a similar piece of foam from a different portion of the tank was shed. Although the debris did not strike ''Discovery'', the program was grounded once again for this reason.

The second "Return to Flight" mission, [[STS-121]] launched on July 4, 2006, at 14:37 (EDT). Two previous launches were scrubbed because of lingering thunderstorms and high winds around the launch pad, and the launch took place despite objections from its chief engineer and safety head. A five-inch (13&nbsp;cm) crack in the foam insulation of the external tank gave cause for concern; however, the Mission Management Team gave the go for launch.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NASA wants shuttle to fly despite safety misgivings|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jun/26/20060626-110227-5543r/|access-date=February 8, 2023|publisher=The Washington Times
| last= Chien | first = Philip
|date=June 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326030503/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jun/26/20060626-110227-5543r/ |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> This mission increased the ISS crew to three. ''Discovery'' touched down successfully on July 17, 2006, at 09:14 (EDT) on Runway 15 at [[Kennedy Space Center]].

Following the success of [[STS-121]], all subsequent missions were completed without major foam problems, and the construction of the ISS was completed (during the [[STS-118]] mission in August 2007, the orbiter was again struck by a foam fragment on liftoff, but this damage was minimal compared to the damage sustained by ''Columbia'').

The ''Columbia'' Accident Investigation Board, in its report, noted the reduced risk to the crew when a Shuttle flew to the International Space Station (ISS), as the station could be used as a safe haven for the crew awaiting rescue in the event that damage to the orbiter on ascent made it unsafe for reentry. The board recommended that for the remaining flights, the Shuttle always orbit with the station. Prior to STS-114, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe declared that all future flights of the Space Shuttle would go to the ISS, precluding the possibility of executing the final [[Hubble Space Telescope]] servicing mission which had been scheduled before the ''Columbia'' accident, despite the fact that millions of dollars worth of upgrade equipment for Hubble were ready and waiting in NASA warehouses. Many dissenters, including astronauts {{who|date=September 2013}}, asked NASA management to reconsider allowing the mission, but initially the director stood firm. On October 31, 2006, [[NASA]] announced approval of the launch of ''Atlantis'' for the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, scheduled for August 28, 2008. However SM4/[[STS-125]] eventually launched in May 2009.

One impact of ''Columbia'' was that future crewed launch vehicles, namely the [[Ares I]], had a special emphasis on crew safety compared to other considerations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/7126-dumping-nasa-ares-rocket-cost-billions.html|title=Dumping NASA's New Ares I Rocket Would Cost Billions|website=[[Space.com]]|date=August 12, 2009 |last1=Halvorson |first1=Todd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209000024/https://www.space.com/7126-dumping-nasa-ares-rocket-cost-billions.html |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>