WASHINGTON " A new NASA report says that the seat restraints, suits and helmets of the doomed crew of the space shuttle Columbia didn't work well leading to "lethal trauma" as the out-of-control ship broke apart, killing all seven astronauts.
In a graphic 400-page report, NASA further studied the Feb. 1, 2003, shuttle tragedy to help design a new spacecraft more likely to survive an accident.
Columbia disintegrated on re-entry to Earth after its mission because of damage to the shuttle's left wing shortly after launch. All seven crew members " commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon of Israel " died.