Space Shuttle Columbia launches on mission STS-107 from Kennedy Space Center on 16 Jan 03. Image credit: NASA. On 16 Jan 03, Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on mission STS-107. Approximately 82 seconds after launch, a section of insulating foam separated from the shuttle’s external fuel tank and struck the reinforced carbon-carbon panels protecting the leading edge of its left wing. The foam strike was captured by launch cameras, but