Mixing powerful and deeply moving footage with telling forensic analysis, Horizon reveals what really went wrong on the Space Shuttle Columbia. The film's final revelation is telling. If NASA had acted differently, all seven astronauts could have been brought back to Earth alive. The film begins with the astronauts' final moments and shows the haunting scenes at Mission Control at the moment the disaster struck. What then follows is a disturbing detective story as the investigators gradually realise that the tragedy was caused by the failure of a small panel on the shuttle's left wing that had been built to be indestructible. No one had ever thought such an accident was possible. It has led to the shuttle being grounded for the foreseeable future. But that wasn't all. The film also shows that NASA had a number of options to bring the crew back safely - if only it had commandeered a spy telescope to visually inspect the damage. It could even have launched a rescue mission. But instead, NASA chose to rely on a computer programme for damage assessment. The programme got it wrong; as a result, there was no hope for those seven crew members.
| Title | Horizon - Season 40 Episode 16 : Last Flight of the Columbia |
|---|---|
| Alternative Titles | BBC Horizon |
| Subtitle Available |
 ETC.
|
| First Air Date | 1964-02-04 |
| Last Air Date | 2025-10-06 |
| Number of Episodes | 1173 |
| Number of Seasons | 61 |
| Genres | Documentary, |
| Networks | BBC Two, |
| Casts | |
| Plot Keywords | , |
Episodes List
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 1 The Mystery Of Easter Island The Mystery Of Easter Island
2003-01-09Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 2 Living Nightmare Living Nightmare
2003-01-16Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 3 Averting Armageddon Averting Armageddon
2003-01-23Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 4 Dirty Bomb Dirty Bomb
2003-01-30Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 5 Sexual Chemistry (Update) Sexual Chemistry (Update)
2003-02-13Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 6 The Day We Learned To Think The Day We Learned To Think
2003-02-20Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 7 Trial and Error Trial and Error
2003-02-27Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 8 Earthquake Storms Earthquake Storms
2003-03-06Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 9 Life On Mars (Update) Life On Mars (Update)
2003-03-27Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 10 The Secret Life Of Caves The Secret Life Of Caves
2003-04-03Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 11 God On The Brain God On The Brain
2003-04-17Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 12 Flight 587 Flight 587
2003-05-08Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 13 SARS: The True Story SARS: The True Story
2003-05-29Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 14 The Big Chill The Big Chill
2003-11-13Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 15 The Bible Code The Bible Code
2003-11-20Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 16 Last Flight of the Columbia Last Flight of the Columbia
2003-11-27Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 17 The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine
2003-12-04Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 18 Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine
2003-12-11Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
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Horizon Season 40 :Episode 19 Time Trip Time Trip
2003-12-18Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
