Click to play videoNew Delhi: Over the last four decades of space travel, there have been four major disasters that resulted in the deaths of all the astronauts on board.
But the Columbia space shuttle mishap in 2003, is etched in every Indian's memory, as a personal loss.
So what went wrong? During the launch, a piece of foam from an external fuel tank broke off and hit the underside of the shuttle damaging the thermal protection system.
Upon re-entry, this damaged portion allowed hot gases to penetrate, which ultimately lead to the disintegration of the shuttle.
It's a tragedy NASA is determined not to repeat. When a four-by-six-inch tear was discovered on Atlantis' protective blanket, NASA delayed the shuttle's re-entry by two days to fix it.
Even though the tear was not thought to be dangerous, a fourth space-walk was scheduled and the tear was eventually fixed using a medical stapler.
And as Atlantis begins her journey home on Thursday, take a moment to cast a look skyward and wish her crew a safe journey home.
(With inputs from Sangeetha Sarma)
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