On February 1, 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated, upon reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts. For many months the East Texas region was bombarded by the media, NASA officials and others helping with the search for shuttle debris. Memorials to honor the astronauts were erected by the community so they could express their sympathies and sorrow. Four students from Stephen F. Austin State University wanted to document this tragedy from the local community perspective. They documented memorials and the enormous volunteer effort in the recovery by taking photographs, interviewing volunteers and collecting data. The four students who documented this tragedy were Connie Hodges, Cynthia Keedy, Shanna Guillote, and Jerry McShane.