It's been nine years since the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and the beginning of the end of the space shuttle program.

The tragedy, which killed all seven crew members aboard, began shortly after launch. Officials said that was when a briefcase-sized piece of insulation broke from an external fuel tank and smashed against the wing.

Officials said during re-entry, superheated gases penetrated the damaged spot and the shuttle disintegrated about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to touch down at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The disaster prompted President George W. Bush to announce the eventual retirement of the remaining space shuttles.

Late January also marked two other NASA tragedies. In January 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lift off. In January 1967, three astronauts of Apollo 1 died in a flash fire inside the capsule.