2003 Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster -- Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans LA
N 30° 01.434 W 089° 55.223
16R E 218342 N 3325027
The sleek and elegant memorial to the crew of STS-107, who lost their lives in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, on the grounds of the Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans LA
Waymark Code: WMNCM2
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2015
Views: 12
One of two memorials to space shuttle disasters stands in the public display area outside of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
This sleek and elegant memorial is a soaring piece of stainless steel topped by a ring of metal, suggesting a craft in orbit. On the body of the memorial, the letters "STS-107" are incised.
The space shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry in the morning of 1 Feb 2003. All members of the crew died. Their names are:
Rick D. Husband, Commander
William C. McCool, Pilot
Michael P. Anderson, Payload Commander
David M. Brown, Mission Specialist 1
Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2
Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Mission Specialist 4
Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist 1
I (Mama Blaster) was 8 months pregnant and asleep, when I was jolted awake by what I thought was my neighbor pounding on the front door. By the time I got something on and opened the door, there was no one there. I saw a weird smoke trail in the sky, like puffs in a line.
After I turned on the TV some time later, I realized what I had seen. The Space Shuttle Columbia has disintegrated as it was making its landing approach, and had exploded over North Texas. Debris rained down over East Texas, and some is still being found today (2014). I remember seeing the I-635 motorist signs that said "DO NOT DISTURB SPACE SHUTTLE DEBRIS -- CALL 911 OR POLICE".
For more on the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, see here: (
visit link)