What spacecraft exploded during reentry? - Britannica
What spacecraft exploded during reentry? In 2003 NASA’s Columbia broke up during reentry, killing all seven astronauts on board. The disaster occur
www.britannica.comShort answer: The space shuttle that burned up on reentry was Columbia (STS-107) in 2003.
Context and details:
- Columbia disintegrated during deorbit and reentry over Texas on February 1, 2003, after damage to its left-wing heat shield from foam debris during ascent allowed extreme heat to penetrate the wing during reentry.[5]
- All seven astronauts aboard Columbia were lost in the disaster, which remains the only Space Shuttle program loss during reentry in NASA’s history.[5]
Additional notes:
- The Space Shuttle program historically saw multiple close calls related to heat shield integrity during reentry (for example, earlier missions involved inspections of heat shield tiles), but Columbia is the only shuttle to burn up upon reentry.[1][7]
- If you’d like, I can summarize the sequence of events leading to the disaster or compare Columbia with other notable shuttle incidents in a concise timeline.
Citations:
- The Columbia disaster and its cause are described in NASA’s and Encyclopedic sources noting the left wing heat shield damage from foam impact and subsequent disintegration during reentry.[5]