A complete archive of stories relating to the STS-107 Shuttle Columbia Disaster, by category. Last updated: May 20, 2003.

Stories before about April 1, 2003 were divided into these categories. Stories after about April 1 are presented chronologically -- more or less -- with the newest stories at the top of the list.

• What Went Wrong
• The Investigation & Latest Clues
• Grief, Sympathy & Aftermath
• Politics and the Future of Human Spaceflight

Instant History: Our First Report
Columbia Destroyed During Re-Entry, Crew Lost
Seven astronauts and NASA's first space shuttle were presumed lost over the skies of Texas on Saturday as Columbia was re-entering Earth's atmosphere to wrap up a 16-day science mission.

Columbia Board Chairman: Shuttle Fleet Should Fly Again
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's space shuttle fleet should be able to fly again, the chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center.

Columbia Debris Search Teams Get Congressional Thank You
The U.S. House of Representatives has sent a collective "thank you" to the 20,000 volunteers involved in looking for shuttle wreckage following the Feb. 1 destruction of Columbia.

Columbia Board Boss: NASA's Safety Officials Need More Clout
WASHINGTON -- The NASA organizations responsible for raising safety concerns need more clout if they are to be heard and heeded, the chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board told a Senate panel May 14.

Shuttle Investigator Says Tumbling Foam Packed More Punch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- The chunk of foam insulation that smacked into the edge of Columbia's left wing during liftoff was tumbling when it struck, almost certainly strengthening the blow, the accident investigator in charge of foam-firing tests said Tuesday.

Texas Congressman Says Shuttle Not Safe to Fly
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The space shuttle has cost the lives of 14 astronauts in just 113 flights and is not safe enough to keep flying with people on board, a Texas congressman said.

William Parsons will be NASA's New Shuttle Chief
WASHINGTON (AP) -- William W. Parsons, director of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, was named Friday as the new manager of the space shuttle program

Columbia Accident Board Reveals a 'Working Hypothesis'
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The pieces are face up on the table and the edge is defined, but the puzzle is far from being solved.

Shuttle Tank Foam Warning Came Three Years Ago
HOUSTON -- Nearly three years before Columbia launched, NASA engineers listed a host of potentially risky problems with foam insulation applied to shuttle fuel tanks at Lockheed Martin's factory near New Orleans, agency records show.

NASA Probe Finds Foam Doomed Shuttle
HOUSTON -- NASA's in-house investigators are convinced foam debris doomed the shuttle Columbia. They are only waiting for air canon tests in Texas to confirm what the rest of the evidence revealed, Florida Today has learned.

Shuttle's Re-entry Procedures Assessed
No changes in the way the space shuttle Columbia returned to Earth would have saved it, an internal NASA report concludes.

Live Worms Found in Shuttle Debris
Hundreds of worms from a science experiment aboard the space shuttle Columbia have been found alive in the wreckage, NASA said Wednesday.

Shuttle Columbia Investigators Close to Best Theory
Columbia accident investigators said Tuesday they are close to zeroing in on where a hole opened up in the spaceship's left wing and strongly suspect the fatal blow was caused by a chunk of flyaway foam at liftoff.

NASA Pioneers Testify on Shuttle Columbia Tragedy
Space program pioneers told Columbia investigators Wednesday that shuttle wings were never designed to be struck by anything and they suggested NASA should have taken the potential problem much more seriously.

Shuttle Chief Dittemore will Resign Later this Year
Ron Dittemore will step down as NASA's shuttle program manager later this year after the Columbia Accident Investigation Board presents its final report and a successor is named, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Columbia Board Increasingly Sure of Accident Cause
Columbia investigators said Tuesday they are growing more certain of what brought down the shuttle: A seal on the left wing was struck by foam during liftoff and fell off the next day, creating a gap that let in enough scorching gases during re-entry to rip the ship apart.

NASA's O'Keefe: Agency's Objective is to Resume Shuttle Flights by Year's End
There is no denying that NASA Administrator, Sean O'Keefe, is steering his agency through turbulent times.

NASA's O'Keefe: 'Better Days Ahead'
"There are indeed better days ahead," said NASA chief, Sean O’Keefe, speaking here at the 19^th National Space Symposium.

Columbia Board Releases Two Recommendations to NASA
Before resuming shuttle missions NASA must do a better job inspecting the leading edge of the spaceplanes' wings and ensure that the nation's spy satellites capture detailed images of the orbiter during each flight.

Shuttle Columbia Debris will be Stored for Future Research
Shuttle Columbia's final resting place won't be an abandoned missile silo like its sistership Challenger.

Report: Wing Was Issue on Earlier Shuttle
Almost two years before the Columbia disaster, NASA inspectors discovered serious weakening of another shuttle's protective left-wing panel and ordered a fleet wide inspection out of fear the problem would infect other shuttles, internal space agency documents show.

Next Shuttle Astronauts Search for Debris
Astronaut Eileen Collins will always have a special bond with space shuttle Columbia. In 1999, it gave her the opportunity to become the first woman ever to command a shuttle flight.

Columbia Report Due Out in June
The Columbia investigation board intends to release its final report on the cause of the space shuttle accident by June, a source close to the independent investigative body has told Space News.

Computer Analysis of Shuttle Tile Damage Questioned
The Columbia accident investigators said Tuesday that the computer model that told engineers a falling chunk of foam hadn't harmed the shuttle's wing at launch was outdated and lacked the right information.

Earlier Shuttle Flight Had Foam Problem
Foam insulation, which broke off during a space shuttle launch just a few months before Columbia's doomed flight, was not considered a hazard or a high-priority problem, a NASA expert said Monday at a hearing into the accident.

Columbia's Mystery Object: Radar Signature Tests Continue
Experts of the independent Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) continue to analyze what floated free from Columbia during day two of its 16-day mission. The object was detected by military tracking radar, apparently dislodged from the space plane shortly after it fired maneuvering jets.

Back-Up 'Black Box' Advocated For Shuttle Fleet
Engineers face a daunting task in sifting through sensor data to piece together what took place during Columbia's final moments high above Earth, prompting investigators to consider recommending that future shuttles carry a robust data recorder similar in concept to the "black boxes" flown on commercial airliners.

Engineers Identify Debris from Columbia's Left Wing
Debris from shuttle Columbia's left wing has been positively identified by engineers at the Kennedy Space Center as coming from an area on the space plane that is at the center of the accident investigation.

Primer May Have Weakened Shuttle Wing
Paint primer leaching off the shuttle launch towers may have eaten tiny holes in the leading edge of Columbia's left wing, weakening it enough to break when struck by a chunk of foam during liftoff, accident investigators said Tuesday.

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.

Researchers Prepare for Columbia Foam Test
Researchers shot a chunk of real space shuttle foam insulation at an aluminum sheet Friday in preparation for tests later this month requested by the Columbia accident investigators.

What Went Wrong
Most recent stories at the top

(This section covers what is known to have gone wrong, plus past shuttle safety reports and NASA's reaction to them. Most of the latest stories about the field investigation -- often incremental and sometimes speculative -- are in the Investigation & Latest Clues section below.)

Tape Shows Gases Inside Shuttle Wing
Hot deadly gases penetrated Columbia's left wing and began burning through it within a few minutes of the spaceship's encounter with the atmosphere, according to tape from a recorder that fell from the sky.

Cape Weather Ripe for Icy Debris to Fall from Columbia's Tank
NASA fueled and launched shuttle Columbia in weather in which ice almost certainly formed on its 15-story fuel tank. The presence of ice made it more likely that debris smacking the shuttle's wing in flight was heavy enough to cause catastrophic damage.

Columbia Mishap: Closing In On Cause and Effect
Expert teams involved in matching hard data with Columbia wreckage are faced with weighing a variety of circumstances that might have caused the devastating reentry of the space plane.

New Columbia Accident Time Line Released
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) issued a new version of a master time line showing the progression of events that led to the destruction of the shuttle and loss of its crew.

Columbia's Last Minutes: Time Line Released
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) released today a master time line of events that documents the space plane’s plunge through the atmosphere and subsequent breakup.

One Month Later: List of Questions Surrounding Columbia Disaster Grows
Somewhere among the multitude of possible reasons why Columbia broke up over Texas on Feb. 1 is the truth of what happened, and the key that will allow NASA to safely resume space shuttle launches.

Internal NASA E-Mails Discuss Hard Choices Columbia Engineers Faced
Internal e-mails released by NASA Wednesday show that engineers and flight controllers responsible for the shuttle's landing gear continued discussing how they might deal with potential life-threatening scenarios aboard Columbia until just a few hours before the vehicle and crew were lost on Feb. 1.

NASA Admits Shuttle Launch Debris Reporting Error; Internal E-mails Stressed Concern
Up to three pieces of insulation foam fell from the external tank and struck the left wing of shuttle Columbia during its Jan. 16 launch, something NASA knew all along but apparently had never made clear, agency officials said Friday.

Step-by-Step: How Columbia's Wing Might have Failed and Why
There are no firm answers yet as to exactly why shuttle Columbia broke apart Feb. 1, but with public hearings set to start next week, a new wave of theories is beginning to make the rounds.

Shuttle's Skin Breached
The space shuttle Columbia almost certainly suffered a devastating breach of its skin, allowing superheated air inside the left wing and possibly the wheel compartment during its fiery descent, investigators said Thursday.

Columbia Investigation Enters New Phase, Air Force Picture Adds Intrigue
Nearly one week after the space shuttle Columbia and crew was lost over Texas the investigation is moving on to a phase where officials say they will have little more that's new to offer, and instead will be looking at what they already think they know again and again.

Shift in Thinking: NASA Widens Shuttle Disaster Clue Search
NASA has essentially ruled out a theory that a breakaway piece of foam may have caused Columbia to rip apart. Other possibilities abound, from an accidental triggering of explosive devices on board to a collision with a piece of space garbage, or perhaps a flaw in a wing that caused the spacecraft to swing out of control and disintegrate moments before it was to land.

Questions Arise Over Former Safety Panel
Two years ago, NASA dismantled an expert panel that was questioning the budget-strapped space agency's long-term plans for safety. Now, with the Columbia disaster bringing safety issues to the fore, some are wondering why panel members were dismissed.

NASA Took Steps to Remedy Known Shuttle Vulnerability
NASA was warned nine years ago that the space shuttle could fail catastrophically if debris hit the vulnerable underside of its wings during liftoff - the very scenario that may have brought down Columbia.

Foam and Tiles Always at Risk on Shuttle
The investigation into what caused Columbia to fall to pieces is leading NASA back to two things that have worried engineers almost from Day One of the shuttle program: foam and tiles.

NASA to Re-Examine Debris Impact from Columbia Launch
The case grew stronger for a bit of loose insulation falling from the launch booster rocket and damaging heat tiles, but NASA says more evidence is needed.

Sensors Showed Extreme Heat on Shuttle Columbia
Shuttle Columbia was maneuvering to stay on course for landing Saturday even as sensors on the spaceplane's left wing recorded rapidly increasing temperatures in the minutes before all contact was lost.

NASA Options to Save Doomed Columbia Varied
Could NASA have saved all or some of the seven astronauts by trying some Hollywood-style heroics -- a potentially suicidal spacewalk, perhaps, or a rescue mission by another shuttle? Some of the ideas that have been suggested would have been highly impractical, dangerous and perhaps futile.

$100 Million Commercial Science Lab Lost on Columbia Was Insured
Insurers will soon be processing a claim for the commercial research laboratory that was lost aboard the shuttle Columbia. The claim will be filed by Spacehab Inc., of Webster, Tex., a company that has built its business around NASA’s space shuttle program.

Columbia's Problems Began on Left Wing
Investigators trying to figure out what destroyed space shuttle Columbia immediately focused on the left wing and the possibility that its thermal tiles were damaged far more seriously than NASA realized by a piece of debris during liftoff.

Full Text of Statement by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe on Shuttle Columbia Loss
The complete text a statement made Saturday by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.

Shuttle Disaster Rattles Texas and Litters State with Debris
Former California resident Susie Patterson thought she'd been awoken by an earthquake Saturday morning. Her house near Nacogdoches, Texas was shaking, the windows rattling. Then she remembered she was in Texas and thought perhaps there was a tornado coming.

Former Shuttle Commander: "Never Thought We’d Lose One During Reentry"
Former shuttle commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson, who piloted the orbiter Columbia on a 1986 mission, says he never expected to see a shuttle destroyed during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Columbia Destroyed During Re-Entry, Crew Lost
Seven astronauts and NASA's first space shuttle were presumed lost over the skies of Texas on Saturday as Columbia was re-entering Earth's atmosphere to wrap up a 16-day science mission.

The Investigation & Latest Clues

FEATURES Reconstructing Columbia How Computer Modeling Can Help Crash Investigators Crash investigators, poring over the remains of the Space Shuttle Columbia in the hope of finding the exact cause of its destruction, may find help in computer modeling - a tool that can electronically reconstruct the last minutes of an aircraft. Columbia Board Determined to Find Cause of Shuttle Tragedy There's a slim chance no one will ever be able to determine the root cause of Columbia's break up over Texas, but the nation's top investigators into aviation mishaps and other disasters are hopeful that won't be the case. Commentary NASA's Response to Columbia More Open than Challenger What a difference 17 years make. Information on the Columbia tragedy is flowing as fast as it can, a marked improvement from how NASA responded to the Challenger incident. Meteor or Space Junk Strike Not Ruled Out in Columbia Investigation While a piece of foam insulation from Columbia's rocket booster remains the prime suspect in the case of the Columbia tragedy, the mission flight director said Wednesday it's possible the shuttle suffered damage while in flight from a small space rock or piece of space debris. NASA Warns Public Not to Sell Space Shuttle Debris NASA warned members of the public Sunday against trying to sell purported Columbia debris on eBay, as local law enforcement agencies struggled to cordon off and protect the hundreds of pieces of wreckage. Columbia FAQ: Your Questions, the Latest Answers Updated frequently as new information becomes available. Continuing Columbia Coverage

Most recent stories at the top

Engineers Identify Debris from Columbia's Left Wing
Debris from shuttle Columbia's left wing has been positively identified by engineers at the Kennedy Space Center as coming from an area on the space plane that is at the center of the accident investigation.

Primer May Have Weakened Shuttle Wing
Paint primer leaching off the shuttle launch towers may have eaten tiny holes in the leading edge of Columbia's left wing, weakening it enough to break when struck by a chunk of foam during liftoff, accident investigators said Tuesday.

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 expdrienced 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 Shuttles'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.

Grief, Sympathy & Aftermath

FEATURES Triumph and Tragedy NASA's Five Decades of Bold Space Exploration Childhood Heroes: Reflections on Columbia These were men and women, fathers and mothers, scientists, pilots, explorers, discoverers, adventurers, but most of all, for me, they were heroes. Grieving Columbia Families: 'Exploration of Space Must Go On' In a statement released by NASA on behalf of the families: "On January 16th, we saw our loved ones launch into a brilliant, cloud-free sky. Their hearts were full of enthusiasm, pride in country, faith in their God, and a willingness to accept risk in the pursuit of knowledge --- knowledge that might improve the quality of life for all mankind." Columbia FAQ: Your Questions, the Latest Answers Updated frequently as new information becomes available. Continuing Columbia Coverage

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NASA Sets Return-to-Flight Plan in Motion; Addresses Satellite Imagery Questions
NASA’s top space flight official ordered the space shuttle team to begin the planning activities for returning the space shuttle fleet to flight as early as this autumn.

Two Die in Shuttle Probe Copter Crash
Investigators pushed through dense, rugged forest to find the site where a U.S. Forest Service helicopter crashed while on a mission to find debris from space shuttle Columbia. Two people died in the crash and three others were injured.

Arlington Cemetery Okayed For Columbia Memorial
The U.S. House of Representatives' Science Committee today passed legislation authorizing the construction of a memorial to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia at Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington, D.C.

Columbia Aftermath: The Muddied Waters of Clear Lake
There are many after effects from Columbia's catastrophic reentry, some symbolic in nature. For one, the NASA culture and its human spaceflight venture are now feeling the heat of public and political scrutiny.

Astronaut's Husband: NASA Not to Blame
The families of the seven astronauts killed in the Columbia explosion in February do not blame NASA, the husband of Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla said Thursday.

Widow of Shuttle Commander Supports Probe
The widow of the space shuttle Columbia's commander said Thursday that she strongly supports continued space exploration and believes investigators will find the cause of the accident.

Columbia Astronaut Laurel Blair Clark Buried at Arlington
Her husband and their 8-year-old son would sprint past her in a race to the mountaintop, and Laurel Blair Clark would amble behind, absorbing each smell and sight nature could offer in the hikes she loved to take.

NASA Recovery Hinges on Shuttle Probe
In the wake of the Columbia loss, the House Science Committee is planning a top to bottom examination of NASA, forcing the space agency to come to grips with the true dangers of flying the space shuttle.

NASA: Give Crew Better Chances in Future
No matter what the outcome of the Columbia accident investigation, NASA is already taking a much harder look at ways for astronauts to inspect and repair damaged thermal tiles on space shuttles in orbit.

Remains of Shuttle Columbia Astronauts Identified
The remains of all seven members of Columbia's crew have been positively identified, NASA officials said Thursday.

Kennedy Space Center Remembers Columbia and Crew
Those closest to the shuttle’s launches and landings shared a profound sorrow today over Columbia’s seven fallen astronauts while celebrating their lives.

India Renames Satellite in Memory of Columbia Astronaut
Metsat, the weather satellite India launched in 2002 has been renamed Kalpana-1 in memory of India-born Kalpana Chawla, one of the seven astronauts who died in the Columbia tragedy Feb. 1 – which will now become an annual day of official observance in India.

Columbia Families Could Face Battle in Lawsuits
Depending on the outcome of the Columbia investigation, the astronauts' families may find their best case for financial compensation can be made in the court of public opinion, aviation attorneys say.

Bush Leads Solemn Tribute to Shuttle Crew
Led by President Bush, thousands of grieving space workers and their families, friends, neighbors and political leaders paid a solemn farewell Tuesday to the seven Columbia astronauts.

Astronaut's Daughter Consoles Children
Kathie Scobee Fulgham knows well what the children of the Columbia astronauts are going through. She, too, struggled with the scary, unanswered questions and the horrifying images again and again when her father died on the space shuttle Challenger.

Email from Astronaut Laurel Clark on Day Before Disaster
The day before she died, Clark sent an e-mail home to family and friends telling them about the wonders of spaceflight.

Schools Wrestle with Columbia Disaster
Teachers deal with the difficult question of what to tell kids.

Fund Plans to Support Columbia Children
A fund that raised about $1 million to assist the children of the Challenger disaster in 1986 will launch an effort to do the same for survivors of the Columbia crash, the board chairman said Sunday.

Space Station Crew Grieves for Lost Comrades, Soldiers On
The three-man crew at the International Space Station was grieving but still proud to be on its mission after being told about the Columbia disaster by a NASA official.

World Leaders Send Regrets Over Shuttle
A day after the space shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry, more world leaders sent condolences to the United States and the families of the seven crew members who died.

Astronaut's Death Brings More Grief to Israel
Just as the successful launch of NASA Flight STS 107 served to unite disparate parts of this fragmented society in a swell of national pride, its abrupt and tragic ending also had its own coalescent effect on the citizens of Israel.

World Leaders Pay Tribute to Shuttle Crew
British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute Saturday to the seven ``courageous'' crew members of the space shuttle Columbia as leaders around the world mourned the astronauts' deaths.

President Bush Remarks on Shuttle Tragedy
The complete text of the president's statement.

Full Text of Statement by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe on Shuttle Columbia Loss
The complete text a statement made Saturday by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.

Nation, World Reacts to the Loss of Columbia and Crew
President Bush, along with the nation and the world expressed tremendous grief today over the loss of seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia Saturday, while NASA leadership promised a full investigation of the mishap and made it clear that the space program must forge ahead.

Israel Mourns Space Shuttle Disaster
Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, gave a troubled country something to cheer about when he blasted off last month on the space shuttle Columbia. The shuttle's disintegration just before landing Saturday brought back a familiar sense of dread.

India Mourns Loss of Astronaut Chawla
Indians mourned the loss of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in space, Saturday after the U.S. space shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas minutes before it was to land in Florida.

Politics and the Future of Human Spaceflight

FEATURES Poll: Despite Accident, Support for NASA Still High A public poll carried out a week after the Columbia disaster finds widespread backing in America for the NASA program. NASA Science Sets its Sights on Human Mars Mission NASA's 2004 budget request, released Monday and overshadowed by the Columbia disaster, represents strong support for space science. It also shows hints of an elevated commitment to Mars both as a science target and a place NASA wants to eventually send humans. And Columbia could actually regalvanize the desire. Lives Lost, Lives Saved: The Benefits of Shuttle Science Experiments done by the Columbia astronauts will lead to improved earthquake safety, cleaner air, better human health and will save lives. Why We Must Still Go Boldly By SETI astronomer Seth Shostak: When exploration comes to grief, let us at least moderate the temptation to damn the enterprise just because of its clear component of bravado and adventure. Columbia FAQ: Your Questions, the Latest Answers Updated frequently as new information becomes available. Continuing Columbia Coverage

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NIMA and NASA to Coordinate Future Satellite Monitoring of Shuttle Missions
A standing agreement to obtain imagery of space shuttles while in flight has been reached between NASA and the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), one of the organizations responsible for assigning satellite missions.

Panel Warns NASA on Age of Space Shuttles
NASA should re-examine the way it certifies space shuttles as safe to launch because of increasing problems discovered last year that can be blamed on the shuttle fleet's age, the agency's safety panel said Tuesday.

Crew Escape Retrofit Unlikely for Shuttles
It is unlikely the remaining three space shuttles will be retrofitted with new crew escape mechanisms any time soon, senior NASA officials said Monday.

Summit to Focus on Upgrading Space Shuttle Fleet
While investigators try to piece together why Columbia disintegrated during reentry killing its crew, a NASA-backed move is underway to upgrade space shuttle systems and hardware to sustain decades more of flight.

Apollo Moonwalkers: Vision Needed in Columbia Aftermath
Apollo astronauts from the first and last expedition to the Moon see far-reaching consequences rippling through America’s space program due to the loss of Columbia and its seven-person crew.

NASA: No Internal Shuttle Policy Changes Ahead of Probe Findings
NASA will not formally reconsider whether internal concerns about Columbia's safety should have been sent to senior mission controllers until after it learns the conclusions of the board investigating the shuttle disaster, the space agency's administrator said Tuesday.

Robotic Assistants Could Have Helped Columbia
If Columbia’s tiles or wing section were damaged on liftoff, that fear could have been allayed by in-flight robotic inspection. For years, NASA has been testing robotic devices for any number of tasks, including inspection and repair duties.

To the Stars: National Space Society Launches Petition to Counter Space Exploration Nay-sayers
Since the loss of the Columbia and its crew, critics have flooded the airwaves to speak against the need for manned spaceflight.

McCain and Boehlert Will Convene Columbia Hearing
U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) will convene the first congressional hearing on the Columbia accident on Feb. 12.

Public Safety: Columbia Debris Field Stirs Overflight Worries
Search teams are recovering tiny to sizeable pieces of Columbia, with some items causing damage to property on the ground and narrowly missing people.

As Investigation Continues, NASA Weighs Options for Keeping Space Station Crewed
NASA International Space Station (ISS) officials are making plans for keeping the orbital outpost occupied in the event that the space shuttle fleet remains grounded for months to come.

Shuttle Contractors Have Turbulent Days in Wake of Columbia Tragedy
Shares of Alliant Techsystems, which supplies the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) used to help power NASA’s space shuttle fleet, rebounded Feb. 4 after dropping sharply the day before, the first day of stock trading since the loss of the shuttle Columbia over the weekend.

Japanese Express Grief for NASA, Puts U.S. Shuttle Astronaut Program on Hold
The Japanese Space Agency said that Japanese astronauts, like their counterparts in the U.S., will not be allowed to participate in shuttle missions until the vehicles can be determined safe.

NASA Assures That Teachers Will Fly in Space
The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia will not stop NASA from putting teachers in space the way a similar disaster did 17 years ago.

Shuttle Endeavour Flight Preparations Continue
United Space Alliance (USA), operator of NASA's space shuttle fleet, is continuing to prepare the shuttle Endeavour for its next flight despite the disruption to normal shuttle operations caused by Saturday's explosion of Columbia, said Mike Curie, a spokesman for USA.

ISS After Columbia - Soyuz Option Politically Loaded Solution
As NASA ponders its options in the days ahead for maintaining a human presence on the international space station in light of the grounding of the space shuttle fleet, discussions are certain to touch upon one obvious solution: Russia.

NASA's 2004 Budget Request to be Released Without Fanfare
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe had been planning to return to Washington by Monday afternoon to brief reporters on the first NASA budget request assembled on his watch. [Budget *is* released]

NASA Unlikely to Build New Space Shuttle
NASA put shuttle launches on hold following the Columbia disaster, clouding the future of missions including assembly of the international space station, which has three astronauts aboard.

Space Station Crew Can Hold Out Until June if Needed
While the world focused on the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven, a trio of other space travelers looked on from above while waiting to hear just how long they might be stuck in space.

Shuttle Catastrophe to Stir Political; Policy Decision Making
The tragic loss of Columbia and its crew will bring about a series of tough decisions by NASA, the White House, and the American public.

NASA Chief Unfamiliar in New Role
Just a year into his job, the NASA chief sent to rein in budget problems now must find answers to the Columbia disaster and restore confidence in the space agency.

NASA's Aging Shuttle Fleet Called To Question
As the space shuttle Columbia and STS-107 tragedy unfolds, the overall health of the human spaceflight fleet -- particularly the age of the space planes -- is likely to be a consideration in finding the true cause of the catastrophe.

International Space Station Crew Retrievable
Even with its shuttles grounded following the loss of the space shuttle Columbia, NASA can easily retrieve the astronauts aboard the international space station using Russian vehicles.