Engineer: NASA May Have Eyed Options
There were ways NASA engineers might have
tried to save Columbia if they had known for
certain that the space shuttle was in trouble from
a damaged wing, NASA's chief shuttle engineer
wrote in an e-mail 12 days before the craft's
destruction.
Engineer Wanted Photos of Columbia Damage
NASA's chief shuttle engineer
wrote in a draft e-mail days before Columbia's
fiery breakup that a failure to seek photographs
of possible damage to the shuttle's left wing was
wrong and "bordering on irresponsible," according
to internal documents released Monday.
Shuttle Recorder Yielding Clues on Wing
Columbia's salvaged data recorder
registered unusual temperature spikes in the left
wing just seconds after the shuttle experienced
the peak heat of re-entry, indicating it was
mortally wounded before it began its descent, an
official close to the investigation said.
NASA to Release 500 Columbia-Related E-Mails
The e-mails, most of which were written
by Johnson Space Center employees, capture a wide
range of discussions about STS-107, from requests
for spy satellite imagery and concerns about tank
debris, to other technical issues -- such as a
humidity problem inside the shuttle's research
module -- that are not implicated in the accident.
Shuttle Columbia Recorder has Strong Signal,
Promising Data
A data recorder that survived the
disintegration of Columbia over Texas has a strong
signal on its magnetic tape and promises to
provide new insight into what happened during the
shuttle's re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on Feb.
1.
Columbia Recorder Readied For Playback
Columbia's salvaged Orbiter Experiment
Support System (OEX) data recorder may offer a
treasure-trove of technical data regarding the
space plane's Feb. 1 breakup.
Columbia Board Awaits New Information from
Upcoming Tests
A series of critical tests and exercises
set to begin Thursday and continue for the next
couple of weeks could provide space shuttle
investigators fresh insight into what caused
Columbia's deadly disintegration.
NASA Missed Trouble Signs, Expert Tells Columbia
Board
A retired Air Force general on Tuesday
told the independent panel investigating the
Columbia tragedy that NASA ignored obvious
warnings its space shuttles weren't flying as
designed when insulating foam kept falling from
external tanks, a factor that likely contributed
to the Feb. 1 loss of seven astronauts.
NASA: Columbia's Data Recorder Promising
An early look at the magnetic tape
from the space shuttle Columbia's salvaged data
recorder offered hope that it was in good enough
shape to yield some information about the doomed
flight, NASA said Monday.
Columbia Board Moves Public Hearings to Florida
This Week
The probe into the space shuttle Columbia
disaster will continue in Cape Canaveral this week
as investigators focus on practices at Kennedy
Space Center and efforts to recover and analyze
wreckage from the Feb. 1 accident.
Data Recorder Find Heartens Shuttle Searchers
The discovery this week of the space
shuttle's data recorder has boosted the spirits of
the thousands of searchers who have been
frustrated at finding only shreds of tile and
metal.
NASA Restructures Columbia Investigation Teams
NASA is reorganizing its investigation of
the shuttle Columbia tragedy to more closely
resemble the structure now in use by the
independent Columbia Accident Investigation Board
(CAIB), the space agency announced Friday.
Critical Data Recorder is Unique to Shuttle
Columbia
Investigation teams delving into the loss
of Columbia and its crew hope to know within a
week if a newly found flight data recorder will
prove useful in deciphering what took place Feb. 1
as the spaceplane broke up during reentry.
Searchers Discover Key Columbia Data Recorder
In what could be one of the most
significant debris discoveries yet from the
shattered Columbia, searchers found a data
recorder that may hold valuable clues as to what
destroyed the space shuttle, the accident
investigation board said Wednesday night.
Columbia's Destruction May Be Tied to Mystery
Object
A data processing foul up by the
U.S. Air Force prevented early flagging of a
mystery object falling off Columbia in orbit – an
object that may be tied to why the space plane
disintegrated en route to Earth.
Columbia Board Focuses On Left Wing Failure
Space shuttle Columbia was crippled by
super-heated air, that rushed inside the space
plane’s left wing, blow-torching the aluminum
super-structure then jetting into and out of the
vehicle’s left wheel well area.
Columbia Board Hearing: 'Clues, Critical Events'
Destroyed on Reentry
Those investigating Columbia’s lethal
dive to Earth continue to sort through recovered
wreckage, baffling sensor data, and invaluable
video trying to decipher why the space plane broke
up at high altitude.
Columbia Accident Investigation Spurs Photo Fakes
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.
Early Tests Show Foam Debris Impact Harmful to
Shuttle Frame
Experts looking into the Columbia
accident hope that several ground tests may offer
clues as to why the space plane broke up during
reentry Feb. 1 as it sped through Earth’s
atmosphere.
Columbia Pilot Error Not Ruled Out in
Investigation
Investigators probing the cause behind
the destruction of Columbia remain puzzled as to
what caused the mishap - not yet ruling out pilot
error, reentry tile damage on takeoff, or problems
of attributed to the aging of the space plane.
Columbia
E-Mail Author Says He Was Misinterpreted
The Langley Research Center engineer whose e-mail ruminations on what could
happen to Columbia if falling tank foam had breached the shuttle's wheel well
told reporters Monday he never intended his e-mail discussions with colleagues
as a warning that the crew of STS-107 was in danger.
Columbia's
Final Data Transmission Sends Mixed Signals
In the moments before Columbia broke apart over Texas, an attempt may have been
made to override the shuttle's autopilot, based on an exhaustive analysis of
the final bits of data, officials say.
NASA
Investigates Dozens of Scenarios, Though Odds of Foam Damaging Orbiter Remote
A NASA-wide campaign is underway with technical teams sifting through data and
debris in an attempt to find the cause behind the loss of Columbia and its crew.
Three
Members Added to Columbia Investigation Panel
The external board investigating the shuttle Columbia accident is about to add
three to its ranks -- an ex-astronaut who served on the Challenger investigation;
a Nobel Prize-winning physics professor; and a noted space expert -- bringing
the total number to 13.
Columbia
Public Hearing to Include Experts on Foam, Shuttle Systems
The first public hearing held by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB)
will include experts on the foam materials used on expendable rockets, as well
as on NASA management and overall space shuttle systems.
Molten
Aluminum Found on Columbia Tiles
Molten aluminum was found on Columbia's thermal tiles and inside the leading
edge of the left wing, bolstering the theory that the shuttle was destroyed
by hot gases that penetrated a damaged spot on the wing, the accident investigation
board said Tuesday.
NASA
Workers Solemnly Reconstruct Shuttle
In their white lab coats and protective goggles, the scores of workers in the
50,000-square-foot hangar look like scientists about to perform a lab experiment
or engineers inspecting a factory assembly line.
Investigator
Focuses on Shuttle Fuel Tank
A member of the independent board investigating the Columbia space shuttle disaster
visited the plant that made the shuttle's fuel tank on Monday, interviewing
workers and collecting information on how the tank was constructed.
Space
Weather Impact on Columbia Studied
One of the detective trails pursued into the loss of Columbia and its crew is
space weather -- a search for any possible tie to the tragedy due to the Sun's
behavior and its influence on Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.
NASA
Debated Shuttle Risks for Five Days
Before the Columbia broke apart, NASA experts debated over five days the risks
to the space shuttle, moving from a telephone inquiry about tires to remarkably
accurate fears focusing on the left wing.
NASA
Chief Won't Reassign Agency Employees on Columbia Investigation Board
NASA's administrator rejected a formal request by the accident board looking
into the Columbia disaster to reassign top agency officials from participating
in the investigation, the first serious dispute over the integrity of the probe
since the space shuttle's breakup killed seven astronauts.
O'Keefe:
More Columbia E-Mail Will Show 'Spirited Discourse' Between Engineers
NASA intends to release e-mail exchanges between engineers concerned about a
humidity problem the crew of STS-107 experienced during their ill-fated 16-day
research mission.
NASA
Releases Video of Columbia's Last Minutes
In a videotape released Friday by NASA, Columbia astronauts in the final minutes
of their lives sipped drinks, put on their gloves, joked and mugged for the
camera, unaware of the catastrophe awaiting them.
Columbia
Board Releases More Images of Shuttle's Left Wing
A pair of images released Thursday by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board
(CAIB) are intended to showcase parts of the shuttle that have been discussed
since the Feb. 1 disaster, officials said.
Challenger
Panel Members Criticize Columbia Probe
The board investigating the Columbia disaster has too many members who are on
the government payroll, lacks scientists and doesn't have enough distance from
NASA, say several members of the panel that investigated the Challenger explosion.
NASA:
E-Mail Shuttle Warning Typical
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said Sunday an independent panel will decide
the significance of e-mails by a NASA research engineer warning two days before
Columbia broke apart that damage to the shuttle's insulating tiles might have
left it in "marginal'' condition.
Anatomy
of a Shuttle Mission: Politics Shaped STS-107 From the Beginning
From its outset, Columbia's flight - officially designed as STS-107 - was a
space mission shaped as much by politics as it was for science, an olive branch
extended by NASA to a skeptical Congress and a convenient vehicle for the Clinton
Administration to advance pet projects.
Possible
Shuttle Debris Found in Nevada
Volunteers looking for a large piece of space shuttle Columbia's landing gear
found several small scraps of aluminum in a remote part of Nevada on Saturday,
but it was not immediately clear whether they belonged to the doomed spacecraft.
Laser
Might Have Found Insulation Foam Flaw
After years of concern about foam insulation breaking off and damaging space
shuttle thermal tiles, NASA started evaluating -- but not widely using -- a
technology that could detect subtle defects in the foam.
NASA
Pleas for Help for Finding Debris in Four Western States
NASA is again asking citizens and officials for help in finding material from
the Space Shuttle Columbia in particular locations, this time in Arizona, Nevada,
New Mexico, and Utah.
Shuttle's
Front Landing Gear Found
Space shuttle Columbia's nose landing gear has been found largely intact in
the woods near Toledo Bend Reservoir, NASA said Wednesday.
Investigation
Board Confirms Shuttle Began Losing Parts over California
Space shuttle Columbia began losing pieces over the California coast well before
it disintegrated over Texas, the accident investigation board reported Tuesday,
confirming what astronomers and amateur skywatchers have been saying from Day
One.
Shuttle
Probe Board Breaks Into 3 Teams
The board investigating the Columbia disaster split into three teams Tuesday
and began delving into what may have caused a breach of the space shuttle's
left wing.
Meteor
Trackers Called in to Predict Trajectory of Columbia Debris
Columbia investigators are looking for help from experts who track meteors entering
Earth's atmosphere so they can better predict where in the California mountains
a potentially telling piece of debris from the doomed shuttle might have landed.
NASA
Asks Farmers for Help Finding Debris
As the days become weeks since Columbia's disintegration over Texas, fewer and
fewer pieces of space shuttle wreckage are turning up, even though the calls
keep coming in.
Space
Shuttle's Overhaul Raises Concerns
The space shuttle Columbia's last major overhaul -- the largest in the history
of the program -- involved some components and systems now under suspicion in
the investigation into the orbiter's final, disastrous descent.
Sound
Waves May Help Columbia Probe
Recordings made by instruments sensitive to sound below the threshold of human
hearing may help investigators build a timeline of any uncharacteristic movements
made by the space shuttle Columbia minutes before it broke apart, scientists
say.
No
Signs of Shuttle Debris in New Mexico Hills
The board investigating the Columbia disaster toured the Louisiana plant Saturday
where the shuttle's external fuel tank was built, while searchers scouring the
mountains of New Mexico -- west of where any debris has been found so far --
were coming up empty.
Columbia
Investigation Board Hits the Road
Two weeks after Columbia was destroyed, a hole in the spacecraft's aluminum
skin that left it vulnerable to super-hot gases has become a suspect in the
space shuttle's disintegration.
NASA
Still Seeks Columbia Re-Entry Images, Videos from Skywatchers
Columbia
Landing Gear Sensor Added to List of Failures
One of three sensors on Columbia's left-hand landing gear possibly indicated
the device had begun to deploy 26 seconds before all contact was lost with the
shuttle.
NASA's
O'Keefe Amends Shuttle Board Charter at Congress' Request
In a swift response to recommendations from Congress, NASA Administrator Sean
O'Keefe for the second time amended the charter under which the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board would operate to further enhance the board's independence
from the space agency.
NASA
E-mail Discussed Landing Disaster Scenarios
A NASA engineer advised mission controllers two days before shuttle Columbia's
landing to be ready to make tough choices in the final minutes just in case
heat shield tiles on the landing gear door were damaged during launch.
Shuttle
Debris Arrives in Florida for Review
Thousands of pieces from the space shuttle Columbia began arriving Wednesday
at the Kennedy Space Center, where they will be spread out in a huge hangar
and at least partially reconstructed by investigators trying to determine what
went wrong.
NASA
Releases Tape of Final Mission Talk
Some of space shuttle Columbia's final radio transmissions chronicle the efforts
of Mission Control engineers as they became painfully aware of the destruction
that was unfolding. Story
/ Transcripts
As
Columbia Inquiry Convenes, Press Access Diminishes
In the first few days after the Columbia disaster, NASA showed surprising candor
and openness, effectively allowing the public to peer over the shoulder
of the mission manager each day. That all
changed when an independent board took over the investigation and engineers
were told, in effect, not to talk to reporters.
Visual
Timeline Planned in Shuttle Probe
The head of the Columbia investigation expressed confidence Tuesday the panel
will solve the mystery, and said it would stitch together photos, video, radar
and other data into a ``stereoscopic mosaic'' of the shuttle's final minutes.
NASA
to Test Mock-Up of Shuttle Wing
NASA will begin testing a mock-up of space shuttle Columbia's left wing, a day
after determining that a piece of debris came from the shuttle's troubled left
side.
Texas
Officer Charged in Shuttle Looting
A Texas law enforcement officer was arrested Monday on federal charges he stole
pieces of space shuttle Columbia.
Three
More Large Pieces of Shuttle Debris Found
A hatch door and two other large pieces of debris were located as volunteers
combed a vast wooded area in hopes of helping investigators piece together what
is left of space shuttle Columbia.
Officials
Wonder if Ice Formed on Shuttle
Investigators are searching for evidence that a block of ice big enough to damage
Columbia's wing may have formed on a waste water vent, a problem that plagued
an earlier shuttle flight.
Debris
Amnesty Ends, 9 May Face Looting Charges
A three-day amnesty period to turn over looted shuttle debris brought in hundreds
of pieces of the shattered Columbia, but officials said Saturday that people
are still illegally hoarding the debris and at least nine could soon face charges.
Piece
of Columbia Wing Found, Photos of Re-Entry Examined
An official confirmed Friday that the Columbia disaster investigation team is
reviewing one or more images taken of the shuttle during re-entry by a ground-based
military telescope. In another potentially important development, a piece Columbia's
wing was recovered overnight.
Spotlight
Turns to E. Texas on Columbia
From the window of a deserted country store, Aimee Garrett and her terrier Sugar
watch a steady stream of disaster-crew trucks, state troopers and military vehicles
roar down the highway connecting Nacogdoches to San Augustine.
NASA-Named
Board Leading Columbia Probe
An independent board named by NASA took the lead of the Columbia investigation,
while officials at the space agency stressed that they were keeping an open
mind about what might have caused the shuttle to break apart over Texas.
NASA
Probing Columbia Shuttle's Launch
Everything is back on the table as the foam/tile theory falls out of favor.
NASA is now looking at everything from the moment of the disaster all the way
back to the launch.
Columbia
Recovery Crews Get High-Tech Help
As search crews in Texas continue the task of searching for Columbia wreckage,
they are being aided by a high-tech SUV dubbed the "First Responder."
Two
Texans Charged in Stealing Debris
The two were arrested Wednesday on federal charges they stole pieces of space
shuttle Columbia that had dropped onto the countryside.
Key
Pieces of Columbia Wreckage Still Elude NASA
Although the first shipment of debris from the shuttle Columbia has arrived
at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., NASA officials said their multi-state search
still has not produced any of the high priority items such as Columbia’s left
wing or the heat protection tiles on that wing.
NASA
Shies from Foam as Crash Culprit
"It doesn't make sense to us that a piece of debris could be the root cause
of the loss of Columbia and its crew,'' said program manager Ron Dittemore Wednesday.
"There's got to be another reason.''
NASA
Eyes Possible Ice on Insulation
NASA investigators are looking closely at whether the chunk of foam insulation
that hit the shuttle on liftoff was coated or saturated with ice, which would
have made the object more destructive than the space agency ever imagined.
NASA
Defends Use of Heat Tiles on Shuttles
NASA on Wednesday defended the thermal tile system that has come under suspicion
in the space shuttle Columbia disaster, saying it has worked well for many flights.
Air
Force Mortuary to ID Astronaut Remains
Dover Air Force Base, home of the military's largest mortuary, made preparations
Wednesday to take in remains from the crew of the space shuttle Columbia and
begin the process of identifying them.
32
Seconds Could Be Key to Shuttle Probe
Data from the last 32 seconds before space shuttle Columbia broke into pieces
in the Texas sky was so faint and ragged that computers at Johnson Space Center
did not display it.
Columbia
Debris Sought in Calif., Ariz.
NASA sent teams Tuesday to check out reports of space shuttle debris found as
far west as California and Arizona -- material that could shed light on the
earliest stages of Columbia's breakup.
Searchers
Find Shuttle Nose Cone in Texas
Although the search for debris has turned up thousands of tiny shuttle pieces,
the cone is one of the largest and most recognizable parts and could potentially
provide insight into how the shuttle disintegrated over Texas on Saturday.
NASA
to Re-Examine Debris Impact from Columbia Launch
Shuttle engineers plan to repeat from scratch their analysis of the damage a
piece of falling debris from Columbia's external tank might make on the orbiter's
heat protection tiles.
Search
Widens for Columbia Debris in Texas
NASA expanded the search for debris from space shuttle Columbia on Monday, establishing
a second collection site at a military base in Fort Worth. The search area now
stretches from central Texas to western Louisiana.
NASA:
Remains of Some Astronauts Found
Forensics experts expressed confidence that fragmentary remains of Columbia's
crew members could be genetically identified despite the craft's disintegration
39 miles overhead, but said details about exactly how the seven astronauts died
and how quickly could be elusive.
Ret.
Navy Admiral to Lead U.S. Government Columbia Probe
Harold W. Gehman Jr., the retired Navy admiral who helped lead the Pentagon's
inquiry into the USS Cole bombing, will head a special government commission
investigating the space shuttle Columbia, NASA's chief said Sunday.
Columbia
Investigation Begins in Earnest
As the world mourns the loss of seven astronauts, investigators are beginning
an around-the-clock effort to piece together the puzzle of why shuttle Columbia
never made it safely home on Saturday.
Three
Committees to Probe Space Shuttle
An independent board is being appointed to investigate the space shuttle Columbia
disaster while NASA and a House committee conduct their own separate inquiries,
government officials said Saturday.
Columbia
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