Two months following the tragic loss of the Columbia Space Shuttle, the personal diary of Ilan Ramon, an experienced F-16 pilot, where he wrote all his thoughts and experiences during his journey in space, was found at one of the crash sites. The diary was sent to the Israeli police that, in cooperation with the Israel Museum, had managed to reconstruct the partly erased handwriting. Columbia – The Tragic Loss portrays the inner world of the first Israeli astronaut who lit up the skies with his bravery, smile and love of mankind. As far as NASA was concerned, this was another routine flight, so routine that in spite of the inner correspondence, clearly suggesting a major damage to the space shuttle only two hours after launch, no one tried to prevent this doomed disaster and save the astronauts on board. After finding Ramon’s diary, the production team has decided to follow the journey of the first Israeli astronaut, based on e-mails sent from space, and on inner correspondence held within NASA during the 16 days of mission. In previously unseen pictures, we see the astronauts during the flight. Exclusive footage is the heart of this poignant documentary, depicting the charged moments of preparation, the excitement of the launch and, ultimately, the heartbreaking disaster – the disintegration of the “Columbia”. The film confronts the difficult questions arising from the crash, including the following painful ones: Was it possible to save the crew of the Columbia? Did the astronauts have any chance to re-enter? Why, in spite of the clear and dangerous damage to the space shuttle, none of the mails sent by safety engineers in NASA reached the decision makers level? Was the crash inevitable? The film unfolds the impossible and frustrating contradiction between the great achievement of the human spirit and the terrible human incompetence, as expressed in the story of the “Columbia”.