Columbia

Trajes, el anaranjado y el blanco

Porque abren las puertas, para enfriarse

[edit] History

Construction began on Columbia in 1975 primarily in Palmdale, California.

The first flight of Columbia (STS-1) was commanded by John Young (a space veteran from
the Gemini and Apollo eras) and piloted by Robert Crippen, who had never been in space
before, but who served as a support crew member for the Skylab missions and Apollo-
Soyuz. It launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of human spaceflight, and
returned on April 14, 1981, after orbiting the Earth 36 times. Columbia then undertook
three further research missions to test its technical characteristics and performance. Its first
operational mission, with a four-man crew, was STS-5, which launched on November 11,
1982. At this point Columbia was joined by Challenger, which performed the next three
shuttle missions.

In 1983, Columbia undertook its second operational mission (STS-9), this time with six
astronauts, including the first non-American astronaut on a space shuttle, Ulf Merbold.
Columbia was not used for the next three years, during which time the shuttle fleet was
expanded to include Discovery and Atlantis.

Columbia returned to space on January 12, 1986, with the launch of STS-61-C. The
mission's crew included Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, as well as the first sitting member of
the House of Representatives to venture into space, Bill Nelson.

Externally, Columbia was the only orbiter in the fleet that had an all-tile thermal protection
system (TPS), although this was later modified to incorporate nomex felt insulation
blankets on the fuselage and upper wing surfaces. The work was performed during

Columbia returned to space on January 12, 1986, with the launch of STS-61-C. The
mission's crew included Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, as well as the first sitting member of
the House of Representatives to venture into space, Bill Nelson.
Columbia was roughly 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) heavier than subsequent orbiters

Externally, Columbia was the only orbiter in the fleet that had an all-tile thermal protection
system (TPS), although this was later modified to incorporate nomex felt insulation
blankets on the fuselage and upper wing surfaces.

Columbia on the launch pad before its first mission.

Columbia launching during STS-1. The original white-painted external tank, as well as
Columbia's distinctive black chines, are clearly visible

[edit] Final mission and destruction

Main articles: STS-107, Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and Columbia Accident
Investigation Board

On its final mission, Columbia carried a crew of seven astronauts: Rick Husband
(commander), Willie McCool (pilot), Michael P. Anderson, Laurel B. Clark, David M.
Brown, Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, and Kalpana Chawla.

On the morning of February 1, 2003, the shuttle re-entered the atmosphere after a 16-day
scientific mission. NASA lost radio contact at about 0900 EST, only minutes before the
expected 0916 landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Video recordings show the
craft breaking up in flames over Texas, at an altitude of approximately 39 miles (63 km)
and a speed of 12,500 mph (5.6 km/s).

 List of human spaceflights

 List of Space Shuttle crews
 List of space shuttle missions
 Timeline of Space Shuttle missions
 List of human spaceflights chronologically

[edit] References
1. ^ Spaceflight Now | Orbiter Overhaul | The Columbia weight loss plan
2. ^ Spaceflight Now | Orbiter Overhaul | Flying into the future
3. ^ Britt, Robert Roy (30 June 2005). ""PLASMA: What is it?"". Columbia FAQ. Space.com.
Retrieved on 2006-09-09. The use of the word "plasma" to describe the gases that entered
the wing is not technically accurate, according to NASA and Boeing aero-thermal engineers
who support the Space Shuttle program at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston,
Texas. They pointed out during the Columbia accident investigations that atmospheric entry
heating and its intrusion into damaged left wing was from superheated air, not ionized gas
and not plasma.
[show]
v•d•e
Space Shuttles
US Space Shuttle Soviet Buran
program program
 Enterprise (OV-101,  OK-GLI (Buran
atmospheric tests, retired) Analog BST-02,
 Pathfinder (OV-098, aerotester)
ground tests)  Buran (Shuttle 1.01,
 Columbia (OV-102, destroyed 2002)
destroyed 2003)  Ptichka (Shuttle
 Challenger (OV-099, 1.02, 95–97%
destroyed 1986) completed)
 Discovery (OV-103,  Baikal (Shuttle 2.01,
active) incomplete)
 Atlantis (OV-104, active)  2.02 (partially
 Endeavour (OV-105, dismantled)
active)  2.03 (dismantled)

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Categories: Manned spacecraft | Space Shuttles