# Columbia's Legacy: Remembering February 1st, 2003
Published: February 1, 2026
Duration: 1:45
# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Good evening, stargazers! Today we're celebrating one of the most thrilling moments in modern astronomical history that occurred on February 1st—specifically, the tragic yet transformative loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia on this date in 2003.
On February 1, 2003, as Columbia re-entered Earth's atmosphere after a 16-day mission to the International Space Station, the unthinkable happened. A piece of foam insulation had broken loose from the external tank during launch, striking the shuttle's left wing and creating a small but ultimately catastrophic breach. As Columbia hurtled through the atmosphere at 18 times th...
Good evening, stargazers! Today we're celebrating one of the most thrilling moments in modern astronomical history that occurred on February 1st—specifically, the tragic yet transformative loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia on this date in 2003.
On February 1, 2003, as Columbia re-entered Earth's atmosphere after a 16-day mission to the International Space Station, the unthinkable happened. A piece of foam insulation had broken loose from the external tank during launch, striking the shuttle's left wing and creating a small but ultimately catastrophic breach. As Columbia hurtled through the atmosphere at 18 times th...