This was not the cause, however, of the launch failure that killed seven astronauts.
Many problems were hidden until the 1986 explosion of the Challenger, which killed seven astronauts.
No shuttle has been launched since the explosion in January 1986, which killed seven astronauts.
The teams were last called in 1986, when the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle killed seven astronauts.
Some investigators believe such swelling could have contributed to the accident, which killed seven astronauts.
On January 27, 1967, Apollo 1 caught fire and killed 3 astronauts.
It has been almost two and a half years since the Columbia broke apart over Texas on its return from orbit, killing seven astronauts.
Accidents related to space travel have killed 22 astronauts and cosmonauts, and a larger number of people on the ground.
The measure would also grant relief for estate and income taxes to survivors of the astronauts killed on the space shuttle Columbia.
"Sonny Carter was my son's soccer coach," she said, recalling the astronaut killed in a 1991 plane crash.