[meteorite-list] Debris Found In Joshua Tree May Be From Columbia

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:25 2004
Message-ID: <200302070130.RAA04771_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=1116803&nav=9qrxDo78

Debris found in Joshua Tree may be from 'Columbia'
KESQ - Channel 3 News
February 6, 2003

A small piece of metal discovered in the high desert may be part
of the space shuttle Columbia.

[Image]
Photo of suspected shuttle debris

The path the shuttle took on its failed journey home carried it
well north of the Coachella Valley and the Joshua Tree area, but
officials say it is possible that debris could have fallen in the
southland.

There have been several additional reports of debris found in
northern California.

A 4 inch by 4 inch piece of metal is at the center of all the
attention, and is now believed to be part of the space shuttle
Columbia.

"We described it to NASA over the phone and from what they
say it's probably from the shuttle," said San Bernardino Sheriffs
spokesman Chip Patterson in a press conference on Wednesday
morning.

No word yet on exactly what this piece of metal is. But NASA
told the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department it may have
been part of a camera attached to the shuttle. The sheriffs
department will keep the piece of metal until NASA can come to
Joshua Tree to inspect it, but no one's sure when that will be.

Sheriff's deputies also said NASA is organizing teams to look for
shuttle debris in California. All this started when Bob Beggs
spotted a shiny piece of metal in his driveway Saturday
afternoon.

"I thought it was a piece of trash that had blown in," he says.

But after closer inspection, Bob realized it was much more than
a piece of trash from the desert. He says it was hot to the
touch.

"It was obvious that at one point it was really hot."

Bob says he's overwhelmed by all the attention. But he's glad
to help and hopes this piece of the puzzle will help solve the
tragic Columbia mystery.

"I sure hope that it is a piece of the shuttle and it'll help 'em
out, figure out what happened. That's the best outcome."

As investigators try to piece together the trail of debris, NASA
officials are learning more about what may have caused the
Columbia tragedy.

NASA engineers are saying that a problem during lift off is
probably not the root cause of the Columbia loss.

Investigators have focused on a piece of tank insulation that
struck Columbia's wing 80 seconds after lift-off. But today
officials are saying there must be another reason for the
accident. A spokesperson said they haven't focused on any
particular theory as to what caused the shuttle's breakup, but
they are looking into why there was a sharp rise in temperature
in one of the wings before the shuttle disintegrated.
Received on Thu 06 Feb 2003 08:30:52 PM PST