Space Shuttle Columbia : Her Missions and Crews (Springer Praxis Books in Space Exploration) (2005. 500 p. w. 280 figs.)

On February 1st 2003, one of the worst and most public disasters ever witnessed in the human space programme unfolded with horrifying suddenness in the skies above north central Texas. The Space Shuttle Columbia - the world's first truly reusable manned spacecraft - was lost during her return to Earth, along with a crew of seven.