A rare infrared image shows the bottom of Columbia's left wing during the STS-3 reentry in March 1982. The color map shows the highest temperature (orange) areas where the tiles retained the reentry heat as well as the far cooler (purple) leading edge because of how the RCC reflects heat away. The bottom half is a normal shuttle belly photo for comparison. This image was taken by the Kuiper Airborne Observatory which normally performs infrared astronomy on distant stars.
If a similar infrared heat map was taken at this point during STS-107's reentry it would have shown a bright orange gap in the left wing where the breach permitted the hot reentry gasses to enter the wing along with increased heating in the left wing's interior.
After the accident NASA released the shuttle entry checklist with the specific supplement for STS-107.
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