Disasters in Space

Relive the harrowing moments in Launch Control during NASA's second "Return to Flight" test flight after the tragic loss of Space Shuttle Columbia. Watch as NASA engineers discover the frightening truth about the incident and the mistakes that caused it.

Serious injury and death threaten technicians working on the Mars Exploration Rover when a test procedure goes horribly wrong. As the clock ticks toward the critical Mars launch window, NASA scrambles to understand and fix this critical space mistake.

Catastrophe beckons when gears controlling a Single Point of Failure Space Shuttle landing system are installed backwards. And despite multiple pressures, a shocking discovery causes NASA to cancel a historic launch.

A spacecraft freefalls from orbit smashing into the ground when its parachute fails to deploy. Can the multi-million dollar science mission be salvaged? And, a wrong turn ruptures a costly Space Shuttle "cold plate!"

A harrowing space mistake leaves the solid rocket boosters hanging by a thread and places the unsuspecting public in the cross hairs of more than a ton of the most explosive rocket fuel on the planet. And, a training exercise goes horribly wrong when an astronaut attempts to complete a routine requirement to be cleared for flight.

The loss of Space Shuttle Columbia stands as one of the worst disasters in spaceflight history. Go behind the scenes of the External Tank foam application process and discover why that seemingly insignificant bit of foam came off during launch, puncturing a hole in the leading edge of the wing - leading to catastrophic failure, loss of vehicle and loss of life.