I have a personal story tied to today’s feature.  On this date in 2003, the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated upon reëntry, killing all seven astronauts on board.  Let me tell you my personal story.  I had won a special evening out at an auction, and we had to use it before it expired.  My husband and I didn’t always enjoy times like this (I was married at this time and pregnant–I forgot that part). We were in Tyler, Texas, and it was a nice hotel.  I had hoped to have some time with my husband, but he stayed up all night doing a puzzle.  We didn’t put the news on in the morning.  (It was Friday when we checked in, and Saturday when we checked out.)  We were living in Dallas, Texas area at the time. We were driving back home that Saturday, and we noticed that the signs on the freeway said to watch out for space shuttle debris.  I didn’t think too much about it because I knew that the space shuttle was coming back on that date.  That’s what I told my husband.  Once home, we turned on the news, and I was absolutely shocked to learn about the disaster.  I couldn’t believe it!  There were pieces that turned up in Texas, as you might believe.  So I remember this disaster quite vividly.

For more info:

http://www.space.com/19436-columbia-disaster.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster

http://famousdaily.com/history/space-shuttle-columbia-disintegrates-during.html