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East Texas museum holding multi-day event to commemorate 20-year anniversary of Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy

The tragedy claimed the live of seven astronauts.

HEMPHILL, Texas — An East Texas museum is marking the 20th anniversary of the Shuttle Columbia tragedy and honoring the legacy of its final crew with a multi-day commemoration event.

The 2003 tragedy claimed the lives of seven astronauts: Mission Specialist 1 David M. Brown, Pilot William C. McCool, Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson, Mission Specialist 2 Kalpana Chawla, Commander Rick D. Husband, Mission Specialist 4 Laurel Blair Salton Clark, and Payload Specialist 1 Ilan Ramon.

The crew was less than 20 minutes from landing on February 1, 2003, when mission control lost contact with the shuttle, according to NASA's website. According to the website, a piece of foam opened a hole in one of the shuttle's wings which led to the breakup of the orbiter and resulted in the loss of the vehicle and the crew.

NASA recently held a Day of Remembrance ceremony to honor those killed on board the Columbia shuttle and the crew of the Challenger and Apollo One.

MORE | See full 20th anniversary event schedule here 

Credit: AP
FILE - This undated photo released in June 2003 provided by NASA shows STS-107 crew members aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. On Feb. 1, 2003, the seven crew members were lost as the Columbia fell apart over East Texas. This picture was on a roll of unprocessed film later recovered by searchers from the debris. From the left (bottom row), wearing red shirts to signify their shift's color, are mission specialist Kalpana Chawla, commander, Rick D. Husband, mission commander Laurel B. Clark and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. From the left (top row), wearing blue shirts, are mission specialist David M. Brown, pilot William C. McCool, pilot; and payload commander Michael P. Anderson. (NASA via AP, File)

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Shuttle Columbia tragedy, the Patricia Huffman Smith Nasa Museum in Hemphill is hosting events and offering free admission from January 30, 2023, to February 1, 2023. Many remains from the Space Shuttle Columbia landed around Hemphill. 

The events are organized by the museum and the NASA Alumni League, Johnson Space Center Chapter. The theme is “STS-107: Still Our Mission 20 Years later,” according to a museum release.  

Organizers hope the events will inform Texans about the 2003 tragedy and subsequent recovery efforts. 

Events on the schedule include an art show, NASA exhibitions, panel discussions, a solemn memorial service, reunions, a student robotics competition, guided museum tours, and guest speakers.

Beginning Monday, the museum will offer three days of free admission to its 3,400-square-foot main gallery. The gallery has displays that document Shuttle Columbia’s 28 missions, STS-107 artifacts, a flight deck simulator, personal items illustrating the accomplishments and personalities of the STS-107 crew members and more, according to the release.

Related: NASA Challenger explosion remembered 37 years later

Credit: AP
Wreckage of the Space Shuttle Columbia is seen in the hanger where it will be reconstructed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral Fla. , Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003. Thousands of pieces of Columbia began arriving Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

A free art show featuring original works and a collection of NASA photographs will be on display at the VFW Auxiliary Post 10351 on Texas Highway 184 in Hemphill Monday.

Almost a dozen high school teams will compete for cash and prizes in the annual Shuttle Columbia Memorial Robotics competition Tuesday. The competition will be held at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center on Mann Street in Hemphill.

The winning team will get to show off their creation at the museum.

Students that participate in Tuesday’s competition will get an opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback and mentoring from NASA astronauts and engineers.

The First Baptist Church will host a 20th anniversary program on Wednesday. The program will pay tribute to the seven STS, 107 crew members, and two volunteers who died during search and recovery efforts.

The memorial service is set to begin at 7:45 a.m.

After the program, the ‘Remembering Columbia’ Museum will host a series of panel discussions. The discussions are set to begin at 10 a.m. in the museum auditorium.

Attendees will also be able to enjoy an interactive NASA traveling exhibit that will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the museum’s parking lot.

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