The space shuttle program was retired in July 2011 after 135 missions, including the catastrophic failures of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 that killed a total of 14 astronauts.

Were the bodies of Columbia astronauts recovered?

The remains of all seven astronauts who were killed in the space shuttle Columbia tragedy have been recovered, US officials said last night.

Which 2 space shuttles blew up?

Columbia: The first fully functional space shuttle launched on April 12, 1981. After 27 missions over two decades, it broke apart during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts on board. Challenger: The shuttle first launched on April 4, 1983.