The Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was the first Space Shuttle to fly into space, on April 12, 1981. OV102 broke apart while re-entering the Earths atmosphere on February 1, 2003, killing all seven people who were on it at the time. The shuttle flew a total of 28 missions. The Columbia was named after a US Navy ship that circumnavigated the world in 1836 It was also the name of the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module.
One of the crew members on board of Columbia during its last mission was Col. Ilan Ramon. Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of Columbia, in which he and six other crew members were killed in the re-entry accident. At 48, he was the oldest member of the crew. Ramon is the only foreign recipient of the United States Congressional Space Medal of Honor.