space shuttle of a manned spacecraft operated by the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1981 to 2011 carried an astronaut back and forth between the earth and outer space, ...

The thousands of ceramic tiles that prevent the space shuttle from burning up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere have caused headaches for NASA engineers even before Columbia’s first flight in 1981.

Three experts from NASA's Ames Research Center who helped develop the Columbia space shuttle's heat resistance tiles spoke today about the tiles possible role in the disaster. Howard Goldstein was one ...