logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
8m 59s

Columbia space shuttle disaster

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The US space shuttle Columbia broke up on its way back to Earth on 1 February 2003.

It had been in use since 1981.

Iain Mackness spoke to Admiral Hal Gehman who was given the job of finding out what went wrong. The admiral’s report led to the ending of the American space shuttle programme in 2011.

A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service first broadcast in 2019.

(Photo: Space shuttle Columbia. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Today
Elvis visits Scotland
In 1960, as he headed home from military service, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll made an unexpected stop at Prestwick Airport.It's believed to be the only time Elvis Presley is known to have set foot on British soil.It was only a brief visit, but for 16 year old Anne Murphy, watching ... Show More
11m 12s
Yesterday
Sweden’s diplomatic freeze with the USA
Outraged by the Christmas bombings of Hanoi in 1972 by the USA during the Vietnam War, the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme made a critical speech. He compared the US’s actions to several massacres from history, including the killing of hundreds of thousands of Jews at the Trebl ... Show More
9m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2020
Apollo 13: The drama that gripped the world
<p>50 years since the Apollo 13 mission, how millions of TV viewers followed the famous rescue of the three NASA astronauts. Also, the women who led the way in America’s space programme by spending two weeks under water and what happened when Skylab crashed to Earth in 1979. Plus ... Show More
51m 47s
Apr 2020
"Houston We’ve Had a Problem”
April 14, 1970. Apollo 13 is a quarter million miles from Earth, speeding towards the Moon, when a sudden explosion rocks the ship. Against all odds, the astronauts pull off one of the most remarkable survival missions in NASA history. On the 50th anniversary of this harrowing fl ... Show More
28m 3s
Jul 2022
SYMHC Classics: Unearthed! USS Indianapolis
This 2017 episode covers the U.S.S. Indianapolis, known today for its crew's horrifying wait for rescue after being torpedoed following a secret mission at the end of World War II. But the ship's history goes back much farther than that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf ... Show More
32m 2s
Feb 2023
The First American in Space
<p>In Spring 1961, the Space Race between the US and Soviet Union was well underway. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in Space in April and the Americans knew his achievement had to be matched. Alan Shepard was chosen as the man for the job. Jay Gallentine t ... Show More
40m 50s
Apr 2021
Episode 29: First Space Shuttle Flight: Astronaut Bob Crippen on the Legacy of STS-1 & Columbia
The spotlights came on in the predawn hours of April 12th 1981, illuminating a spacecraft like no other, the space shuttle. Just before liftoff, Columbia's crew climbed inside for the very first test flight into space. 
28m 46s
Dec 2022
Apollo 8 Goes to the Moon
December 21, 1968. Apollo 8, the first crewed spacecraft to successfully orbit the Moon and return to Earth, launches from the Kennedy Space Center.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 
16m 35s
Apr 2022
The Gallaudet 11
tail spinning
43m 47s
Dec 2022
Start of the Space Race
<p>Space historian Jay Gallentine tells Don how World War 2 weapons paved the way for space rockets, igniting a space race between the USA and the USSR that would see the first projectiles, satellites and people leave Earth’s atmosphere.</p><br><p>Produced by Benjie Guy. Mixed by ... Show More
40m 4s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami