Examining the body flap, which has been removed from the Orbiter.

The nose section of Columbia minus the nose cap and forward RCS pod.

Repairing and replacing heat tiles on the underside of Columbia.

Top of the vertical tail, showing the SILTS pod.

The leading edge of the vertical tail, with the speed brake flaps extended.

Exposed hinge joint on the left-hand wing.

Looking along the left side of the cargo bay door. The green cube shows where the entrance to the cargo bay is during refurbishment.

Down angle on the left wing showing the textures of heat protection tiles and blankets.

Rescue instructions on the right side fuselage underneath the crew cabin.

The covered flight deck windows can be seen to the right in the scaffolding.

Looking up through the mid-deck hatch toward the flight deck aft station.

Jeff checks out the exposed wire bundles in the mid-deck area.

The cockpt with most instrumentation removed prior to the installation of the MEDS.

Michelle sitting on the floor of the Pilot's station on the Columbia flight deck.

Squeezing through the cargo bay hatch on the right side of the orbiter mid-body.

The "ground floor" of the cargo bay. Note the overhead scaffolding to the upper level.

Note: The black-and-white images below are low-res video frame captures.

The flag hanging from the work scaffold.

The nose wheel gear.

A technician works on Columbia's thermal protection system tiles

A close up showing reentry scorching and repair to a TPS tile.

The cockpit windows with protective covers.

Technicians at work standing where the forward RCS pod would normally be mounted.

Pitting is evident on the heat tiles that make up the rear thrust structure where the SSMEs are mounted (covered by plastic sheeting in this photo).

Another view of the SILTS pod on top of Columbia's vertical tail.

The exposed hinge joint at the front of the body flap, which was removed at the time.

Looking down the tunnel from the exterior clean room into Columbia's mid-deck.

Inside the mid-deck right after entry. The entrance tunnel is seen to the lower left.

Jeff is standing in the middle of the lower cargo bay, holding his camera.

A fuel cell that resided under the payload bay door.

Along the upper level catwalk, just underneath the cargo bay doors.

Later that year, with modifications and upgrades completed, Columbia was ready to return to the Kennedy Space Center and be prepared for its next orbital mission. This was to be STS-109, which launched on 1 March 2002. Eleven months later Columbia was destroyed on reentry at the end of the 16-day STS-107 mission.

Standing in front of Columbia as she prepares to leave the Palmdale facility and be flown back to KSC. Michelle at left with Jeff in the middle.

Looking at the aft end of Columbia, from the left side. Note the boattail which has been added to facilitate airflow during transport on the 747 SCA back to Florida.

Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia.

I hope that this page of photographs, and the accompanying articles serve as a tribute to the first operational Space Shuttle, OV-102, Columbia, and to all the astronauts who flew on her between April 1981 and February 2003.

The crew of STS-107:

(L-R) David Brown, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla,

Michael Anderson, William McCool, Ilan Ramon.