The world's other major space power, Russia, has sent condolences to Washington, but said the Columbia disaster would not affect the launch of a supply rocket to the orbiting international space station tomorrow.
The seven members of Columbia's crew had "given their lives to conquering the dangers of space in the name of peace, science and progress of civilisation", Russia's President Mr Vladimir Putin said.
A spokesman for Russia's space mission control centre said a Progress M-47 rocket would go ahead as scheduled to take supplies to the International Space Station, where one Russian and two Americans are in orbit.
At the Vatican, Pope John Paul prayed for the dead astronauts during a mass at St Peter's Basilica. He had received the news of the disaster with great pain shortly before the mass, Vatican sources said.
A wave of sorrow engulfed Israelis who had tuned in to watch what was expected to be the triumphal return of Israel's first astronaut, former combat pilot Colonel Ilan Ramon.
Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority expressed condolences to the families of all seven astronauts.
India was also especially shocked: the first Indian-born astronaut and a symbol of national pride, aerospace engineer Ms Kalpana Chawla, was among the dead. She had already made a previous shuttle flight. Thousands of people braved a cold winter's night to ring temple bells and pray for Ms Chawla and her six crew mates in her home town of Karnal just outside the capital New Delhi. She had moved to the United States in 1982 and joined the US space agency NASA in 1988.
The leaders of Germany and France, at odds with the United States over Washington's hardline attitude on the Iraqi crisis, sent their condolences to both the United States and Israel.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, just returned from Washington and a council of war with President George W. Bush over Iraq, wrote to both the US leader and Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon expressing sorrow at the disaster.