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The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) was convened by NASA to investigate the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003. In addition to determining the cause of the accident, the panel also recommends what changes should be made to increase the safety of future shuttle flights. The CAIB released it's final report on August 26, 2003.
Major findings
82 seconds after launch a large piece of foam insulating material from the external tank broke free and struck the leading edge of the shuttle's left wing, damaging the protective carbon heat shielding tiles. This damage allowed super-heated gases to enter the wing structure during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere and caused the destruction of the Columbia.
The board recommended to NASA that several things should be done to improve the safety of future shuttle flights. These recommendations include:
Board recommendations
Board members
Chairman of the board
Board members
Board support
Partial list of additional investigators and CAIB support staff
External links
References
