Plaque, Memorial, Columbia STS-107 Crew

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry and the seven STS-107 mission astronauts died. Before the first anniversary of the tragedy, NASA produced commemorative plaques for the astronauts' families and for the Museum. Each plaque includes a mission patch that was found on the ground during the search for debris from the accident. The plaque also bears the names and images of the crewmembers. This plaque is displayed in Space Hall beside a similar plaque in memory of the STS 51-L Challenger crew who perished in the 1986 launch accident.