Loren Grush, at The Verge:

On February 1st, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas and Louisiana as it returned from a 16-day mission in space. The cause of the accident was a piece of foam that had fallen off the Shuttle’s external fuel tank during launch. The foam struck the left wing of the shuttle, causing serious damage that ultimately led the vehicle to explode when it reentered Earth’s atmosphere. It was the second major failure for the Space Shuttle program, and all seven crew members onboard the vehicle died.

It was a tragic moment for NASA, but it was also a tragic time for my family. My parents are retired NASA engineers who spent most of their careers on the Space Shuttle program. They were both working the mission, known as STS-107, the day of Columbia’s scheduled landing, and they were two of the first people to know that something had gone wrong with the shuttle. As soon as there was a sign of failure, both of them got to work on figuring out the cause of the accident.

Maybe it’s because I was born the morning of the Challenger disaster, but I’ve always felt a strong connection to the space shuttle program. Columbia was the beginning of the end of the shuttle, and I cannot wait to listen to this interview.

Curt Godwin:

NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity might never be classified as speedy, averaging only slightly more than 2 miles (3.36 kilometers) per year since its landing on Jan. 25, 2004, at 05:05 UTC. Nevertheless, what the stalwart explorer lacks in range is more than made up with its longevity. Opportunity—also known as Mars Exploration Rover – B (MER-B)—has been in active operation on the Red Planet for 13 years, far exceeding the original planned mission of 90 sols (approximately 92 Earth days, with each sol being a full Martian day, lasting 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds).

What a machine.