STS-107 Crew Portrait

The official STS-107 crew portrait, taken ahead of the mission that ended in the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia. During launch, a piece of foam insulation broke off the external fuel tank and damaged the leading edge of Columbia's left wing; the damage went undetected, and on February 1, 2003, superheated gas breached the wing during reentry, destroying the orbiter and killing all seven astronauts aboard just minutes before its planned landing.