Investigation Focus Turns To Shuttle Computer Data
POSTED: Thursday, February 6, 2003
UPDATED: 8:38 am EST February 6,
2003
NASA is redoubling efforts to get missing computer data from shuttle Columbia, now that engineers are backing away from a prime theory on what caused the disaster.
Engineers said a piece of insulation foam from the shuttle's external fuel tank was not big enough to fatally damage the protective thermal tiles.Shuttle program chief Ron Dittemore is pinning hope on recovering 32 seconds of sensor data sent after voice contact was lost. Experts are hoping the information -- if it can be decoded -- will shed more light on problems that developed on the Columbia's left wing before the spaceplane broke apart.Meanwhile, NASA said none of the more than 12,000 pieces of debris recovered so far provides a crucial answer on why the shuttle disintegrated.NASA investigators are combing through thousands of pieces of debris for clues on what caused the space shuttle Columbia to break apart.But not all of what's being turned in is from the shuttle. A lot of it is junk. Items checked by investigators range from a truck mudflap and an alternator from a Chevy, to an egg yolk and a piece of burnt toast.Americans, eager to help, are reporting debris from California to Georgia and as far north as Kentucky. A woman in northwestern Kentucky found a piece of metal with embossed numbers on her patio; state police have sent a photo of it to NASA.A spokesman for the space agency said it's easy to speculate or be confused. But experts say they'd rather comb through a thousand pieces of junk than miss a piece of Columbia that could yield a clue.
Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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