OTD In Space – July 26: Space Shuttle Returns To Flight With STS-114

On July 26, 2005, the space shuttle Discovery launched on the first "Return to Flight" mission following the Columbia disaster that killed seven crew-members a little over two years earlier.

A few seconds after launching from Kennedy Space Center, a huge bird flew straight into the top of the shuttle's external fuel tank. It didn't cause any damage, because NASA says that incidents like these can be catastrophic. A few minutes later, two pieces of foam were seen flying away from the shuttle, one of which collided with the orbiter's right wing. Luckily, those didn't cause any critical damage either. STS-114 safely returned after spending two weeks in space.