Posted: Fri, Jul 6, 2001, 11:10 AM ET (1510 GMT)
The auction of a piece of debris allegedly from the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger was cancelled late Thursday night. The online publication collectSPACE first reported Thursday morning that an individual identified only by the username "hook4ahand" was selling the item, described as a piece of insulation measuring 2 by 5 cm from the shuttle's external tank, on the Internet auction site eBay. The 10-day auction started Wednesday afternoon but was halted late Thursday night because "the item is no longer available for sale," according to the page at eBay that listed the auction. It is a violation of federal law to possess or sell Challenger debris, and collectSPACE reported early Friday that NASA's inspector general office planned to investigate the auction. A similar attempt to auction Challenger debris on eBay took place nearly two years ago; the seller was prosecuted and sentenced last year to two years' probation.

Related Links:

•  collectSPACE article
•  eBay auction page