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.
Columbia Place
Opened in 1977 as Columbia Mall, it was originally anchored by Belk, JCPenney, and Sears. Rich's opened a few months later. Dillard's replaced Belk in 1995 and closed in late 2008. JCPenney left the mall for a new Lifestyle Center, Village at Sandhill ten miles (16 km) away in 2007. On June 6, 2017, Sears announced that they would be closing as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The store closed in September 2017. The malls current only anchor store is Macy's. It is home to the only Macy's location in more than a 50-mile radius, which helps solidify the mall's presence and position in the market. On December 21, 2017, Macy's also announced that the store will be closing sometime in 2018. On January 19, 2018, Burlington announced that they would be closing as well on February 16, 2018.