00:00 On this day in space.
00:03 In 2002, the space shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-112.
00:08 This mission brought the Starboard 1, or S-1, truss segment to the International Space Station.
00:13 The S-1 truss is part of the backbone of the space station, and it provides structural support for the thermal control system.
00:19 During the launch, a chunk of insulating foam broke off from the external tank and hit the bottom of the rocket booster, leaving a huge dent.
00:26 Luckily, this didn't pose any problems for STS-112, but this was the same thing that caused the Columbia disaster just three months later.
00:33 NASA later redesigned the shuttle to prevent this problem.
00:36 And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:39 [ music ]
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