The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster shook Texas to its core, but before that, it was a shuttle like any other. | Kayla Stewart/The Daily Cougar
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, perhaps one of the worst disasters in recent Texas history, is not easily forgettable. The long-running shuttle met its end abruptly on Feb. 1, 2003, when the shuttle exploded upon re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere, killing the seven crew members aboard.
What some may not know is that Columbia’s last mission, STS-107, was its 28th. On Sept. 28, 1995, the shuttle was planned to set off on an expedition to grow antibiotic protein crystals in zero gravity, a project that was made in conjunction with UH.
Liftoff was delayed heavily, which the article in Sept. 28’s Daily Cougar predicts. The story reads, “If the Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off this morning as scheduled,” and the article goes on to suggest that a cold front could delay the liftoff until the following Friday.
In fact, it took nearly a month for the shuttle to finally launch. Six attempts were made before the successful liftoff on Oct. 20, 1995, a record shared with another Columbia launch nine years earlier.
Still, liftoff eventually happened and the crew came back from its mission successfully. But for those reading the article now, the frank headline can be downright eerie. The disaster may overshadow everything else the shuttle did, making it hard to remember the decades it was used for research.
