Author Philip Chien can be seen in the crowd in the foreground of the first two NASA photos in the second row. He took the last three photos in this sequence.
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A video clip of the STS-107 launch.
An Israeli delegation arrived to talk to the media. A security escort of seven police cars followed their VIP bus. Israeli ambassador Daniel Ayalon talked about how magnificent the launch looked with the white smoke against the blue sky - the same colors as Israel's flag.
Laurel Clark's brother Dan Salton was interviewed by a Milwaukee television station.
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe talked to the press after the launch. Among other questions he was asked about keeping the shuttle flying safely. O'Keefe mentioned NASA's culture, citing the upcoming anniversary of the Challenger accident:
"Not many people in this agency have forgotten about it. All Americans, and I'd venture to say a lot of people around the globe, remember where they were that day, and it really had a searing effect on all of us. I think it's changed forever the approach this agency -- those who have committed themselves to exploring on behalf of the American people -- that you do that without being reckless and do it in a way that's responsible and absolutely respects the fact that there are people involved in this."
O'Keefe said he had just left the families of the Columbia crew. He noted that he met with the families before each flight to remind everybody the astronauts were real people -- "These are people who really depend on everyone who's engaged in this." O'Keefe added, "I don't see this becoming a case of withdrawing from that. I don't think it's ever going to get to a stage where anybody becomes complacent, because you can really put a name, face, and personality on human beings behind the consequences of what we do every day, and we're all very mindful of that."
After Columbia's main engines shut off the External Tank was ejected. Astronaut Mike Anderson got out of his seat on Columbia's middeck and opened up a locker to remove a camera with a telephoto lens and camcorder. He floated up to the flight deck and passed the camcorder over to Dave Brown.
In this sequence of images Dave Brown gets out of his seat and admires the view outside the window. Mike Anderson floats up from the middeck with a camcorder and camera. The next day the crew aired the video which was shot inside the crew cabin and the video Dave Brown shot of the External Tank.
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A video clip which survived the accident showed Ilan and Laurel pulling Dave out of his orange Launch and Entry Suit.
After the launch the European Biopack scientists celebrated at the Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) that their mission was underway and within a day they'd be starting the science activities they had planned for so long.
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