Since the tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, resulting in the loss of all seven souls aboard, NASA had maintaining an exemplary safety record with no major accidents or deaths for over 17 years.
That all changed on Feb. 1, 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia suffered a catastrophic incident during its fiery reentry over Texas after a chunk of insulation damaged a leading wing edge upon liftoff, which 16 days later later caused the Kennedy Space Center-bound vehicle to break apart and disintegrate, sadly killing its seven brave astronaut occupants inside.
