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We hear a montage of reports from eyewitnesses to the shuttle Columbia disaster.

Today President Bush was called upon for the second time to comfort a nation in mourning. He telephoned the families of the lost astronauts and then addressed the nation from the cabinet room.

Troubleshooters are expected to scrutinize the shuttle Columbia's auxiliary power units, which help provide power to the orbiter's steering mechanisms during descent -- a task that requires highly flammable fuel. NPR's Howard Berkes joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about the role APUs play in reentry and why their redesign had been on NASA's to-do list.

Host Steve Inskeep reviews what is known so far about the shuttle Columbia disaster.

NPR's Ira Flatow and NPR's Steve Inskeep discuss the challenges in NASA's immediate and longterm future.

We hear the last communication with the space shuttle Columbia before it broke up on reentry. NPR's Larry Abramson joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about some of the technical problems known thus far, such as temperature anomalies.

NPR's Ned Wharton captures reactions to the shuttle Columbia disaster from visitors at the National Air & Space Museum. (This is a repeat from earlier in the show.)

NPR's Tavis Smiley spoke with shuttle Columbia's pilot, Willie McCool, and payload commander Mike Anderson, as they orbited the Earth in late January.

Liane Hansen talks with former Utah Sen. Jake Garn about a speech he gave last night to the Chamber of Commerce on the mysteries of space travel.

Liane Hansen presents an excerpt from President Bush's address to the nation yesterday on the Columbia tragedy.

A sound montage of some of the voices from yesterday's space shuttle Columbia disaster, including Mission Control declaring a contingency for the shuttle; Barbara Lancaster of Richardson, Texas, who heard overhead a loud pair of booms produced by the shuttle; NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe; William Readdy, NASA's associate administrator for space flight; and President George W. Bush.

NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports from Palestine, Texas, on the cleanup of debris from Saturday's crash of the space shuttle Columbia.