Just before it disintegrated, space shuttle Columbia experienced an abnormal ... possible effects of the impact from the fuel tank’s foam insulation and concluded “it did not represent a ...

NASA engineers analyse film footage of a piece of debris striking the shuttle Columbia 81 seconds after launch.

Bill Gerstenmaier, the agency’s associate administrator for space operations ... a 1.67-pound chunk of foam peeled off Columbia’s external tank and punched a hole in that shuttle’s left ...