spacetoday.net: Shuttle data recorder in good shape

Posted: Tue, Mar 25, 2003, 7:57 PM ET (0057 GMT)
OEX recorder from Columbia (CAIB)

Investigators examining a shuttle data recorder recovered last week believe the device is in good enough shape to provide information about Columbia during its reentry. The recorder, discovered during a debris search in east Texas last week, was inspected by engineers over the weekend. They found that the recorder's tape was in good shape except for one area where the tape was stretched and broken. NASA has not attempted to read the data on the tape yet, waiting until the tape is reconditioned and copied before trying to determine what data it has recorded. The Orbital Experiments (OEX) recorder is designed to record data on the shuttle's flight conditions during reentry. Columbia was the only orbiter with an OEX recorder, which was installed to provide engineers with additional data during the early phases of the shuttle program.