At 9: 00 am EDT (22: 00 Beijing time), that is, before Columbia landed 16 minutes, the plane suddenly disappeared from the radar. Television images show that the disintegrated Columbia has drawn several white tracks over Texas.
NASA did not immediately announce that the crew, including an Israeli astronaut, were killed, but the flag at Kennedy Airport was lowered at half mast. At present, the search for the wreckage of Columbia in Texas continues, and NASA has warned people not to touch any debris because the engine of the space shuttle is covered with highly toxic chemical paint.
There is no possibility of Columbia flying to a forced landing. "In this case, I'm afraid Columbia has no choice," NASA spokesman Keller Helian told CNN.
After the incident, President Bush immediately ended his short vacation at Camp David and returned to the White House to pay close attention to the further development of the situation.
Columbia is the longest-serving of the four existing space shuttles in the United States. This accident is reminiscent of the crash of Challenger 19861October 28th, when all seven astronauts on board were killed.
Angela Bell, a spokeswoman for the FBI, said there was no direct evidence that the incident was related to terrorists.
Columbia was flying at an altitude of 203,000 feet at a speed of 65,438+02,500 miles per hour.
Catherine Watson, a spokeswoman for NASA, told the National Public Broadcasting Network: "At present, all flight controllers are trying to find data that can explain what happened." But when asked if any astronauts could survive, Watson shed tears.
The seven astronauts killed on Columbia were Rick Herzburn, William McCool, michael anderson, david brown, Kelpana Jorah, Laurel Clark and Israeli Ilan Ramon.
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon said: "This incident is a great tragedy for the two governments, the two peoples and the families of the astronauts who died."
After the disintegration of Columbia, debris with toxic substances was scattered in a narrow strip about 190 km long in eastern Texas. A 160 km long belt of smoke and metal particles still covers a large area of land in this state and Louisiana. The falling debris also penetrated the roofs of many houses in Texas and caused fires in residential areas, injuring at least 27 people.