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The Columbia Space Shuttle disintegrated during its return to earth on February 1, 2003. The crew of seven astronauts died that day. As a result, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) was created to investigate the cause of the tragic accident. The exact cause of the of the accident was that the a piece of the foam insulating material from the external tank broke free and struck the leading edge of the shuttle’s wing which damaged the heat shielding panels. The impact allowed super-heated gases to enter which led to the shuttle’s disintegration.
Aside from the technical failure, the CAIB pinpointed NASA’s culture and management structure as the culprit for the accident. From the start, NASA faced political pressure to be and stay number one in the space race against the Soviet Union. Although the Cold War ended and NASA’s funds were reduced, the political pressure continued. “…NASA officials decided to push ahead… with an approach of......

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