Grim details of Columbia disaster

By Andy Gallacher BBC News, Washington

The space shuttle disintegrated as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere

Nasa has released a detailed report into what happened to the space shuttle Columbia and its crew.

It comes almost six years after the orbiter disintegrated when re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

The report includes grim details of the crew's final moments as the shuttle broke up over the state of Texas.

It also concluded that the astronaut's seat restraints, suits and helmets did not work well, leading to "lethal trauma".

The accident happened on 1 February 2003.

When the space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the orbiter's left wing was damaged by a piece of insulating foam.

That proved fatal for the seven astronauts when they re-entered the Earth's atmosphere days later.

The world watched as the shuttle disintegrated, its vital heat shield pierced by hot gasses, and its crew lost.

Now Nasa has published an extensive 400-page report into their last moments.

The report found that the crew knew for as long as 41 seconds that they did not have control of the orbiter before, investigators think, they were knocked unconscious.

Nasa also found that the astronauts did not have the necessary training that may have increased their chances of survival.

The tragedy happened on the 28th mission for Columbia and the report is thought to be the most comprehensive investigation into a shuttle incident ever carried out.