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As pointed out in the answer to What items are shown in this panel of All-Star Superman?, Superman in the All Star Superman series has the space shuttle Columbia in his Fortress of Solitude. This seems really strange to me given that the comic was made in 2005, two years after the ship was destroyed in real life.

Why does Superman have it? Did Columbia not get destroyed in the comics? Did he put all the pieces back together? Is it from an alternate universe? And why is Superman allowed to keep it rather than letting it stay with NASA?

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  • I'm pretty sure that, in some versions of Superman's backstory, rescuing Columbia from a crash was his first public appearance.
    – Jeff
    Sep 4, 2016 at 1:55

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Because in Superman (vol. 1) 378 (Dec. 1982), he saved the Shuttle Columbia from crashing.

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  • I suppose this explains why it has a connection to Superman, but it took place well before 2003 when it was destroyed. Is there anything you can add about why it still exists after that date?
    – Thunderforge
    Sep 4, 2016 at 2:05
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    I'm not sure what needs to be explained, exactly. Clearly, in the A-SS continuity, Columbia didn't explode in 2003. (Or, alternatively, he saved it from exploding in 2003; either way works, I think.) And for some unexplained reason, Superman kept it in his Fortress, just as he kept the Titanic. Dude's some kind of weird hoarder.
    – Patrick Wynne
    Sep 4, 2016 at 2:09
  • Remember that one of Morrison's big schticks is dropping all kinds of references to older Silver and Bronze Age stories into his modern stories. This is one of those, possibly with the added bonus of implying that Superman also prevented Columbia from exploding in 2003.
    – Patrick Wynne
    Sep 4, 2016 at 2:11
  • I can buy the implication that Superman saved it again in 2003. I was hoping that there was some reference to it though. Now I'm wondering about him having the Titanic though!
    – Thunderforge
    Sep 4, 2016 at 2:13
  • “Because in Superman (vol. 1) 378 (Dec. 1982), he saved the Shuttle Columbia from crashing” — and then stole it!
    – Paul D. Waite
    Sep 6, 2016 at 19:54
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He was supposed to save a Space Shuttle in John Byrne's revamp as well, but after the Challenger disaster, it was hastily changed to "an experimental space-plane" out of courtesy and tact.

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  • I think this would be better as a comment. While interesting information, it doesn't answer the question.
    – Thunderforge
    Sep 6, 2016 at 21:00

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