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The crew members of STS-107 walked out January 16
for launch aboard Columbia's last mission
The mission, dedicated strictly to scientific research, was a rare space shuttle flight that did not stop at the international space station. During the 16-day trip, the seven-person crew of the shuttle Columbia worked on more than 80 experiments. The flight, which included the first Israeli astronaut, launched under extremely tight security.
Today February 1, 2003 the USA share a loss with the rest of the nation. 7 Astronaut lost their lifes today...it was not in vane. They knew the danger of space and the chance that they may not come home. They were very excited about this mission. If they were ask at the last minute to change their minds, not one of them would have done that. They had work very hard to get here and the 16 days leading up to the launch. Not one would have said no they didn't want to go.
Meet The Crew
 
History: Husband, 45, made his second trip into space. The U.S. Air Force colonel and mechanical engineer piloted a shuttle flight in 1999, which included the first docking with the international space station.
 
History: The 40-year-old former test pilot made his first foray into space. The U.S. Navy commander and Naval Academy graduate was responsible for maneuvering the shuttle as part of several experiments.
 
History: Anderson, 42, went into orbit once before, a 1998 shuttle flight that docked with the Russian space station Mir. The U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and physicist was responsible for the shuttle science mission.
 
History: The U.S. Navy captain made his first flight into space. Brown, 46, an aviator and flight surgeon, was working on many experiments, including numerous biological ones.
 
History: Born in India in 1961, Chawla earned an aerospace engineering doctorate from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Chawla, who has logged more than 375 hours in space, was the prime robotic arm operator on a shuttle flight in 1997.
 
History: Clark, 41, a U.S. Navy commander and flight surgeon, was making her first flight into space. A medical school graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Clark was taking part in a variety of biological experiments.
 
History: Ramon, 47, is the first Israeli astronaut. A colonel and former fighter pilot in the Israeli air force, he saw combat experience in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Lebanon War in 1982.
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