TV Horizon - Season 40 Episode 16 : Last Flight of the Columbia Horizon - Season 40 Episode 16 : Last Flight of the Columbia 7.516/10 by 32 users Mixing powerful and deeply moving footage with telling forensic analysis, Horizon reveals what really went wrong on the Space Shuttle Columbia. The film's final revelation is telling. If NASA had acted differently, all seven astronauts could have been brought back to Earth alive. The film begins with the astronauts' final moments and shows the haunting scenes at Mission Control at the moment the disaster struck. What then follows is a disturbing detective story as the investigators gradually realise that the tragedy was caused by the failure of a small panel on the shuttle's left wing that had been built to be indestructible. No one had ever thought such an accident was possible. It has led to the shuttle being grounded for the foreseeable future. But that wasn't all. The film also shows that NASA had a number of options to bring the crew back safely - if only it had commandeered a spy telescope to visually inspect the damage. It could even have launched a rescue mission. But instead, NASA chose to rely on a computer programme for damage assessment. The programme got it wrong; as a result, there was no hope for those seven crew members. Details Casts Posters Images Title Horizon - Season 40 Episode 16 : Last Flight of the Columbia Alternative Titles BBC Horizon First Air Date 1964-02-04 Last Air Date 2024-07-22 Number of Episodes 1169 Number of Seasons 60 Genres Documentary, Networks BBC Two, Casts Plot Keywords , Episodes List Horizon Season 40 :Episode 1 The Mystery Of Easter Island The Mystery Of Easter Island 2003-01-09 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 2 Living Nightmare Living Nightmare 2003-01-16 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 3 Averting Armageddon Averting Armageddon 2003-01-23 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 4 Dirty Bomb Dirty Bomb 2003-01-30 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 5 Sexual Chemistry (Update) Sexual Chemistry (Update) 2003-02-13 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 6 The Day We Learned To Think The Day We Learned To Think 2003-02-20 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 7 Trial and Error Trial and Error 2003-02-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 8 Earthquake Storms Earthquake Storms 2003-03-06 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 9 Life On Mars (Update) Life On Mars (Update) 2003-03-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 10 The Secret Life Of Caves The Secret Life Of Caves 2003-04-03 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 11 God On The Brain God On The Brain 2003-04-17 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 12 Flight 587 Flight 587 2003-05-08 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 13 SARS: The True Story SARS: The True Story 2003-05-29 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 14 The Big Chill The Big Chill 2003-11-13 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 15 The Bible Code The Bible Code 2003-11-20 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 16 Last Flight of the Columbia Last Flight of the Columbia 2003-11-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 17 The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine 2003-12-04 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 18 Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine 2003-12-11 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 19 Time Trip Time Trip 2003-12-18 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.