Posted: Tue, Apr 15, 2003, 9:36 PM ET (0136 GMT)
Columbia accident investigators said Tuesday that they now believe that the site of the breach in the leading edge of the shuttle's left wing was a little farther away from the fuselage than previously thought. Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said that current evidence leads them to believe that the breach that allowed hot gases to enter the wing during reentry was near the intersection of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels 8 and 9 on the left wing; previously investigators thought the breach was around panel 6. That change is based on studies of panel fragments recovered during debris searches as well as data from the OEX recorder. Investigators also said that they now think the debris seen on radar floating away from the shuttle a day after launch is a T-seal that helps hold the RCC panels in place. A missing T-seal could leave a gap a few centimeters wide that would allow hot gas to enter the wing. NASA also announced Thursday that it was in the process of wrapping up the debris search, and planned to close its field office in Lufkin, Texas, that was coordinating the recovery effort early next month.
