Posted: Wed, Feb 5, 2003, 8:23 AM ET (1323 GMT)
NASA said late Tuesday that is checking out reports of possible shuttle debris as far west as California and Arizona in the hopes of determining what led to the destruction of Columbia. Investigators have been dispatched to several locations in those two western states to check out reports of possible tiles or other debris that may have fallen from the shuttle. If true, that debris could give investigators new insights into the earliest stages of the problems Columbia encountered during reentry. Searchers in eastern Texas and western Louisiana continue to find debris from the orbiter, including portions of the crew cabin in Texas and possible main engine debris in Louisiana. Forensics experts have identified the remains of at least one crew member, Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon. NASA is continuing to work under the assumption that a chunk of insulation and/or ice that fell from the external tank during launch is the root cause of the problem. However, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that NASA is also considering the possibility that the shuttle was struck in orbit by a piece of orbital debris, an event that is considered relatively unlikely but cannot yet be ruled out. Several publications reported Tuesday that NASA was warned as early as 1990 and 1994 that relatively small areas of tiles on the underside of the orbiter posed the greatest risk to the shuttle if damaged.

Related Links:

•  NASA press release (via SpaceRef)
•  Los Angeles Times article
•  Washington Post article
•  Houston Chronicle article
•  New York Times article