Columbia space shuttle disaster

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)