What happened to the space shuttle Columbia?
As the orbiter with its crew of seven were re-entering the atmosphere, the heat generated by the re-entry caused warping of the orbiter’s wing frame which affected the stability of the shuttle. Eventually all control was lost and forces pulled the orbiter apart above Texas. Commander Rick Husband and Pilot Willie McCool bravely fought to control the shuttle manually in the seconds before all were killed. Much of the orbiter was recovered in pieces on the ground and provided useful information in determining the cause.
