Space Shuttle thermal protection system
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle "Columbia" was destroyed on reentry due to a failure of the TPS. The investigation team found and reported that the probable cause of the accident was that during launch, a piece of foam debris punctured an RCC panel on the left wing's leading edge and allowed hot gases from the reentry to enter the wing and disintegrate the wing from within, leading to eventual loss of control and breakup of the shuttle.
Space Shuttle orbiter
"Columbia" was the first space-worthy orbiter, and made its inaugural flight in 1981. "Challenger", "Discovery", and "Atlantis" followed in 1983, 1984 and 1985 respectively. In 1986, "Challenger" was destroyed in an accident shortly after launch. "Endeavour" was built as "Challenger"s replacement, and was first launched in 1992. In 2003, "Columbia" was destroyed during re-entry, leaving just three remaining orbiters. "Discovery" completed its final flight on March 9, 2011, and "Endeavour" completed its final flight on June 1, 2011. "Atlantis" completed the last ever Shuttle flight, STS-135, on July 21, 2011.