And the answer is...

Shuttle

Foam insulation from the external fuel tank damaged the wing during liftoff, allowing hot gases to penetrate the shuttle wing on re-entry, leading to catastrophic structural failure of the spacecraft.

Shuttle

The StarChild site is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/ GSFC.

StarChild Authors: The StarChild Team
StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments
StarChild Project Leader: Dr. Laura A. Whitlock
Curator: J.D. Myers
Responsible NASA Official: Amber Straughn