For STS-107, Columbia carried the SpaceHab Research Double Module, the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment, and an Extended Duration Orbiter pallet.[5]: 30 The mission passed its pre-launch certifications and reviews, and began with the launch. The mission was originally scheduled to launch on January 11, 2001, but it was delayed thirteen times, until its launch on January 16, 2003.[5]: 28 The seven-member crew of STS-107 were selected in July 2000.[5]: 28 The mission was commanded by Rick Husband, who was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a test pilot. He had previously flown on STS-96.[7] The mission's pilot was William McCool, a U.S. Navy commander who was on his first spaceflight.[8] The payload commander was Michael Anderson, a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who had previously flown on STS-89.[9] Kalpana Chawla, served as the flight engineer; she had previously flown on STS-87.[10] David Brown and Laurel Clark, both Navy captains, flew as the mission specialists on their first spaceflights.[11][12] Ilan Ramon, a colonel in the Israeli Air Force and the first Israeli astronaut, flew as a payload specialist.[13][5]: 29 Launch and debris strike Video image of the Space Shuttle in flight during the debris strike. Footage of the debris strike at T+81.9 seconds Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at 10:39:00 am. At T+81.7 seconds a piece of foam approximately 21 to 27 inches (53 to 69 cm) long and 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) wide broke off from the left bipod on the ET. At T+81.9 seconds the foam struck the reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels on Columbia's left wing at relative velocity of 625 to 840 feet per second (426 to 573 mph; 686 to 922 km/h).[5]: 34 The foam's low ballistic coe
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