Remembering the shuttle Columbia 20 years later

EAST TEXAS (KRLD) – A grim anniversary in the northeastern Texas skies. Wednesday marked 20 years since the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over North and East Texas as it made its way toward a planned landing in Florida. The shuttle never made it, coming apart at 9 a.m. on February 1, 2003. Reports came in to East Texas law enforcement offices telling of an explosion and falling debris. Remains of the seven astronauts were recovered along a line from south of Hemphill to South Toledo Bend, near the Sabine River on the Texas-Louisiana line. Investigators determined the spacecraft’s heat shield was damaged by debris on launch 16 days earlier. Upon re-entry that day, heat from the atmosphere penetrated to the shuttle’s frame, causing a catastrophic failure.