What happened to Columbia?
As Columbia descended, the autopilot made
a series of sharp, 58-degree turns to slow the
vehicle. At 0853, the first signs of a
problem emerged when sensors in the hydraulics system
detected a temperature rise of 60 degrees in the left wing -
the same wing that was hit by debris from the shuttle's fuel
tank during launch. At 0858, Columbia started to
experience increased drag on the left hand side, possibly
caused by tiles being shed from the wing. Three temperature
sensors on the left side of the shuttle stopped working.
