Remembering Columbia


One year ago today, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart on reentry. All hands aboard perished.

In honor of the sacrifice these men and women made in the pursuit of mankind’s dream of spaceflight, NASA has designated the Mars rover Spirit’s landing place The Columbia Memorial Station. To remember the crew of the Challenger, Opportunity’s landing spot is designated The Challenger Memorial Station.

Columbia, STS-107 Challenger, STS-51L
  • Rick D. Husband, Commander
  • William C. McCool, Pilot
  • Michael P. Anderson, Payload Commander
  • David M. Brown, Mission Specialist 1
  • Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2
  • Laural Blair Salton Clark, Mission Specialist 4
  • Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist 1
  • Francis R. Scobee, Commander
  • Michael J. Smith, Pilot
  • Judith A. Resnick, Mission Specialist
  • Ronald E. McNair, Mission Specialist
  • Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist
  • Gregory B. Jarvis, Payload Specialist
  • Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Teacher

Best wishes to their friends and family. The memory of their courage is not forgotten.