The Shuttle Columbia Tragedy g:3+

What Went Wrong?

The Shuttle Columbia Tragedy

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As America mourns the death of seven astronauts who were aboard the space shuttle Columbia when it broke up in the sky, NASA scientists are trying to figure out what went wrong. Columbia broke up above Texas Saturday morning on its way to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Tragedy in the Sky

The cause of the tragedy is not known but a study is in progress. The accident happened during the final 16 minutes of Columbia’s mission as the spaceship glided in for landing.

According to NASA, the first sign of trouble Saturday morning was the loss of sensors that track the temperature in a part of the shuttle's left wing. NASA officials said some of the inside of the left wing may have been damaged after takeoff, when it was hit by a piece of flying garbage.

All that could be seen on television cameras after the shuttle broke up was a bright light followed by white lines of smoke flying across the sky. By then, the shuttle had lost contact with Mission Control on the ground.

Falling Garbage

Pieces of the shuttle were found in parts of east Texas counties and Louisiana. NASA asked people who live in those areas to report any pieces they saw. But they also warned people not to touch the pieces because they might be dangerous.

A Sad Day

Six Americans and the first Israeli astronaut ever to journey into space died in the tragic accident. They were: Rick D. Husband, the shuttle's commander; William C. McCool; Michael P. Anderson; David M. Brown; Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.

The nation's flags, starting at the White House, were lowered Saturday afternoon to honor the shuttle crew.

WORD BANK

sensors Columbia Saturday seven	contact Florida sixteen White House	Israeli Americans dangerous temperature
As America mourns the death of astronauts who were aboard the space shuttle when it broke up in the sky, NASA scientists are trying to figure out what went wrong. Columbia broke up above Texas morning on its way to land at the Kennedy Space Center in . The accident happened during the final minutes of Columbia's mission as the spaceship glided in for landing. The first sign of trouble Saturday morning was the loss of that track the in a part of the shuttle’s left wing. All that could be seen on television cameras after the shuttle broke up was a bright light followed by white lines of smoke flying across the sky. By then, the shuttle had lost with Mission Control on the ground. NASA asked people who live in Texas and Louisiana to report any pieces of the shuttle that they saw. They also warned people not to touch the pieces because they might be . Six and the first astronaut ever to journey into space died in the tragic accident. The nation's flags, starting at the , were lowered Saturday afternoon to honor the shuttle crew.

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Click Yes or No	Yes	No
1. America mourns the death of four astronauts.
2. All the astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia were Americans.
3. The spaceship began having problems during the last five minutes of landing.
4. NASA thinks the problems could have began during take-off when the shuttle’s left wing was damaged by flying debris.
5. Pieces of the shuttle were found in Texas and Louisiana.
6. The nation’s flags were lowered Saturday afternoon to honor the shuttle crew.
7. People were warned not to touch pieces of the shuttle because it may be sticky.
8. The shuttle was trying to land in Charlotte, North Carolina.
9. All that could be seen on the television Saturday morning was bright lights and lines of smoke.
10. All the astronauts aboard Columbia were men.

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What Went Wrong?