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All seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia were killed after it broke up just 16 minutes from its scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 1, 2003, the U.S. space agency NASA said. "The loss of this valiant crew is something we will never be able to get over," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said at a news briefing. A December 20, 2002 file photo shows (L-R) Mission Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool, Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (the first Israeli astronaut), Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist David Brown, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark and Kalpana Chawla. Photo by Joe Skipper/Reuters