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Shuttle disintegrates, 7 astronauts dead

One year after the space shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas, NASA remembered the seven fallen astronauts aboard and reasserted the need for accuracy, safety and communication as the space program moved forward. NASA chief Sean O'Keefe has admitted the agency "flat missed" the accident's cause -- foam that hit the shuttle's wing shortly after liftoff. A post-crash report called for significant cultural and "structural changes" at NASA.

NASA aims higher | Report faults NASA culture | PDF
Audio Slide Show: Space Shuttle Columbia
More stories: Shuttle tragedy

The Crew

• Gallery: Columbia crew

• Video:

Lives, dreams lost on Columbia

• Husband: A 'true American hero'

• McCool: Navy commander in awe of space

• Anderson: Saw bright future for black astronauts

• Chawla: India mourns space heroine

• Clark: 'Life is a magical thing'

• Ramon: 'The best we could offer'

• Brown: Gymnast turned astronaut

• Shuttle crew takes break for CNN interview

• All 7 astronauts' remains identified

• Widows draw on faith, each other

Memorials

• Again, America grieves

• NASA remembers 'Columbia seven'

• Readers: Thoughts, prayers, condolences

• NASA looks ahead on anniversary | Audio Slide Show

• Family, friends recall crew | Colorado peak renamed

• World grieves loss of shuttle | Gallery

• Families: Space exploration 'must go on'

• Russia mourns crew, vows to make up for lost flights

• D.C. service honors 'daring souls' |

• Israel receives astronaut's remains

• Presidential role: Comforting a nation

• Gallery: Astronauts who have died on duty

The Investigation

• Report findings, recommendations | Timeline

• Foam collision the 'smoking gun' |

• Video:

NASA 'flat missed' cause of disaster

• Test causes 'significant' damage | Slide Show

• Congress urged to refocus NASA | Panel: Design safe

• Gallery: Original film of debris hitting wing

• Ex-NASA engineer: 'No safety program' at NASA

• Re-entry video | Life on doomed shuttle |

• Probe calls for better monitoring of launches

• Engineer's e-mail warned of disaster | NASA chief blasted

• Part of cabin found | Left wing identified

• Probe looks into external fuel tanks | Interactive

• Officials: 'No evidence of terrorism'

The Tragedy

• Animation: Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy

• Audio: 911 calls

• Audio: Final contact with Columbia

• Timeline: Columbia's final moments

• Video:

Radar images of breakup

• Bush: 'Our entire nation grieves' | Transcript

• NASA likely to weather political scrutiny

• Columbia breaks up over Texas | Toxic debris

• Witness describes house-rattling 'roar'

• O'Keefe: 'A tragic day for the NASA family'

• Is the shuttle worth it? | Experts: Imminent flights unlikely

• Man or machine: Who should explore space?

• TIME: The shuttle's last moments

Space Shuttle Columbia

• Gallery: Flight STS-107 on Columbia

• Diagram: Shuttle Columbia

• Video:

Columbia lifts off

• Thermal tiles key to shuttle survival | Explainer

• NASA considered retiring Columbia in 2001

• Interactive: Shuttle prep course

• Interactive: Flight stages

• Timeline: Shuttle milestones

• Panoramas: Space vault

• Interactive: Shuttle Discovery

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