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Columbia Accident Investigation Spurs Photo Fakes
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 12:30 pm ET
16 March 2003
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www HOUSTON Finding out the root cause of the Columbia tragedy is a tough, technological detective story, demanding the time and talents of engineers and scientists both inside and outside the government. Particularly irksome to those involved in the investigation are a number of images now circulating around the Internet photo fakes of the catastrophe. One set of images making the Web rounds were purportedly taken by an Israeli spy satellite. Clearly, the pictures do not match up with the known facts, including ground video taken of Columbias fatal dive across multiple states. Photoshop slop According to one investigator on a NASA team studying the Columbia accident, this type of "Photoshop slop" only helps to undermine the serious work of investigators, and fuels "the conspiracy nuts out there." In a statement released over the weekend, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) noted the photographic forgeries, stating: "As part of the ongoing investigation into the loss of the Columbia Shuttle and its crew, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board will occasionally release official photos on its Web site. The CAIB analyzes and validates any photographs it releases. The Board is aware that a number of fabricated, altered or otherwise falsified photographs have been circulating on the Internet. The CAIB cannot validate the authenticity of photos not posted on its Web site." "Any credible leads or information that will assist in this investigation should be posted on our Web site." Meanwhile, the CAIB released on Saturday a series of photos of recovered hardware, identified as being from the left wing the site where intense heat contributed to the space planes breakup during reentry. On March 17-18, the CAIB will hold its second public hearing a two-day event involving a series of experts invited to help shed light on the Columbia calamity.
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