A meticulous examination fo the 2003 space shuttle disaster, COLUMBIA: THE TRAGIC LOSS is also a poignant tribute to Ilan Ramon, the Israeli Air Force colonel who became the first Israeli astronaut ever to venture into outer space. The crew of seven died when Columbia broke apart during reentry in the skies over the southern United States. This admiring portrait is told through affecting family interviews, and a wealth of archival materials, including never-before-seen footage from the mission, and Ramon's own diary, miraculously retrieved from the crash debris. The film also confronts the difficult questions arising from the crash. Was it possible to save the crew of the Columbia? Was the accident inevitable, or did the NASA bureaucracy fail? COLUMBIA: THE TRAGIC LOSS is an emotionally charged documentary that blends hard facts with a heartbreaking personal story of an Israeli hero who gave his life for all of humanity.