This special patch was made in memory of these heroes.
The silhouette of Columbia is draped in a blue ribbon with 7 stars (including the Star of David) is a tribute to the heroes of STS-107.
The seven-member crew was killed on February 1st, 2003 when Columbia disintegrated during reentry into the atmosphere. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board determined the failure was caused by a piece of foam that broke off during launch and damaged the thermal protection system (reinforced carbon-carbon panels and thermal protection tiles) on the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing. During re-entry the damaged wing slowly overheated and came apart, eventually leading to loss of control and disintegration of the vehicle.