Coverage continues at Part 5 of our Investigation Journal.

• 11 March 2003 - Tuesday - The Columbia investigation continues. NASA reports:

  CAIB Holds Media Briefing
  Tuesday, the investigation into the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and the STS-107 crew continued. In the field, the search for debris pressed ahead, and the Reconstruction Project Team continued to examine Columbia debris at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Columbia broke up during re-entry on Feb. 1.

  In Houston, Texas, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, or CAIB, held a press briefing at the Lunar Planetary Institute for Advanced Space Studies. CAIB board members provided reporters with an update of the investigation.

  Also on March 6, the CAIB held a public hearing at the University of Houston - Clear Lake campus. Board Chairman retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. and other board members asked questions of selected individuals, including Johnson Space Center Director Jefferson D. Howell Jr. and Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore.

  In response to a request by Gehman, three new members were named to the investigation board March 5. The new members are Nobel Prize laureate in physics Douglas Osheroff, former NASA astronaut and physicist Dr. Sally Ride and George Washington University Space Policy Institute Director Dr. John Logsdon.

  As of March 5, NASA had received 6,541 still images and 34 videos relating to Columbia -- including re-entry, debris, etc. -- from the public and the media. NASA TV Schedule

• 07 March 2003 - Friday - More on the ongoing investigation. Columbia debris is being reassembled for analysis (not like rebuilding it, just arranging the wreckage to see if any patterns are visible).  NASA reports:

  Debris Search Continues, CAIB Holds Public Hearing
  The investigation into the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew continued this past week. Friday, searchers were looking for debris in Texas.

  Thursday, officials announced that more than 103,000 acres have been searched. The search for debris is being coordinated by the Federal Emergency Agency. Also, check out the list of counties in the southwestern United States that may contain shuttle debris.

  View a video tribute to the Columbia crew or download the memorial for viewing later from KSC's Columbia Tribute page. To view other memorial service and press conference videos, go to KSC's Columbia site. Additional information on the Columbia accident investigation is located on the NASA home page.

  On March 11, the CAIB will hold a press briefing at [2PM EST/1900 GMT] at the Lunar Planetary Institute for Advanced Space Studies in Houston, Texas. NASA TV Schedule

  STS-107 Payload Commander Michael Anderson was buried today at Arlington National Cemetery. Rest In Peace...

• 06 March 2003 - Thursday - At the CAIB Public Hearing today, Board members grilled NASA officials on safety procedures and contractor control of the Shuttle program. Sean O'Keefe said that NASA is in danger of losing their best engineering talent through attrition.  NASA reports:

  Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Public Hearing
  The Columbia Accident Investigation Board held a public hearing Thursday at the University of Houston - Clear Lake campus. Board Chairman retired Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr. and other board members asked questions of selected individuals, including Johnson Space Center Director Jefferson D. Howell Jr. and Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore.

  In response to a request by Gehman, three new members were named to the investigation board Wednesday. The new members are Nobel Prize laureate in physics Douglas Osheroff, former NASA astronaut and physicist Dr. Sally Ride and George Washington University Space Policy Institute Director Dr. John Logsdon.

  As of Wednesday, NASA had received 6,541 still images and 34 videos relating to Columbia -- including re-entry, debris, etc. -- from the public and the media.

  See photos releases from the CAIB. The next press briefing will be held on Tuesday, March 11th, at 2PM EST (1900 GMT).

• 05 March 2003 - Wednesday - The hunt for answers in the Columbia disaster investigation goes on. All of the tires have been recovered, and the difference in the right and left tires indicates that the left tires blew out. Was that the cause or the effect of some other event? Some of the search teams are getting sick from handling Shuttle debris.  NASA reports:

  New Columbia Investigation Board Members
  Nobel Prize laureate in Physics Douglas Osheroff; former NASA astronaut and physicist Dr. Sally Ride; and George Washington University Space Policy Insitute Director Dr. John Logsdon will join the Board effort. Michael Bloomfield will serve as Astronaut Advisor, replacing Bryan O'Conner as staff support.

  Media Invited To Document Columbia Recovery Field Search
  News media representatives are invited to document Columbia debris recovery team activities in Lufkin, Texas on Friday, March 7.

  Read a letter to America from the Columbia crew families. View the Mishap Status Reports and Press Releases. Visit the STS-107 Investigation Reference page.
  NASA TV Schedule

  Were shortcuts taken in the production of External Tanks?

• 04 March 2003 - Tuesday - The Columbia investigation keeps on rolling. Was space weather a factor in the disaster? NASA rejected a bid to replace some top-level people on the investigation team.  NASA reports:

  Investigation Board Has Good Week; To Hold Hearing Thursday
  In a briefing Tuesday, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board updated reporters on the progress of the inquiry into the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew on Feb. 1. The board’s chairman, retired Adm. Harold W. “Hal” Gehman Jr., said that the past week has been a good one for the investigation. He was joined by three members, each representing one of the board’s three groups.

  The investigation board will hold a public hearing Thursday from [11AM to 3PM EST/1600 to 2100 GMT] at the Bayou Theatre on the University of Houston - Clear Lake campus. Gehman and other members will hear from individuals who have been asked to appear before the board to answer questions about the NASA Space Shuttle program. NASA TV will provide coverage for most of the event. NASA TV will cut away from the hearing from [12:45 to 1:15PM EST/1745 to 1815 GMT] to air a previously scheduled International Space Station education event.

  In the search for debris, the accident investigation board reported that 22,563 pieces have been found, with 16,063 being identified as of Tuesday. The found debris weighs 14,560 kilograms (32,100 pounds), which is about 13.7 percent of the shuttle’s original weight.

  Tuesday in Texas, 39 ground search crews deployed from Nacogdoches, 35 from Hemphill, 34 from Palestine and 50 from Corsicana. Once again, low ceilings kept search aircraft grounded. In California, a search of the coastline north of Columbia’s re-entry track did not yield any debris. Poor weather continues to delay the search in Nevada and New Mexico.

  JSC Media Roundtable Transcript
  JSC flight engineers Bob Doremus and Jeff Kling discussed e-mails they exchanged with colleagues during Columbia's mission. Roundtable held at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas on Feb. 26.
  + View Acrobat PDF (306 Kb)

  A Letter From The Columbia Crew Families
  The Columbia crew families express gratitude for overwhelming public support. Charitable funds are now available for contributions.
  + Read more
  + Visit STS-107 Memorial Funds website

  Here's some more sources for the Columbia crew-cabin video:

  + View the video (RealMedia)
  + View the video (JPL RealMedia source)
  + View the video (KSC RealMedia source)
  + View the video (additional RealMedia source)

• 03 March 2003 - Monday - The investigation continues, as NASA seeks eyewitnesses to the Columbia disaster. Were shortcuts taken during the manufacturing of the Shuttle's External Tank, causing foam insulation to strike the spacecraft as it rose to orbit? Could adverse space weather have affected the flight? Over the weekend, the CAIB announced two new media events, and on Friday, NASA released a piece of video shot inside Columbia's cabin before the accident. NASA reports:

  Investigation Board to Hold Press Briefing, Public Hearing
  The Columbia Accident Investigation Board announced that it will hold a press briefing Tuesday at [2PM EST/1900 GMT] and a public hearing from [11AM to 4PM EST/1600 to 2100 GMT] Thursday. The press briefing will will take place at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, and the public hearing will be held at the University of Houston - Clear Lake. Tuesday's press briefing will be carried on NASA TV. NASA TV Schedule

  In the field, searchers continue to recover material from the Space Shuttle Columbia, including thermal protection tiles, structural parts and communications equipment. Monday in Texas, 39 ground search crews deployed from Nacogdoches, 35 from Hemphill, 34 from Palestine and 50 from Corsicana -- low ceilings kept all aircraft on the ground Monday.

  Nacogdoches crews have collected about 1,200 pieces of suspected shuttle debris after searching nearly 3,000 acres in the Texas counties of Cherokee and Nacogdoches. The Hemphill crews have found 60 pieces in 1,800 acres in Sabine County. Palestine crews have found 177 pieces in 2,575 acres in Anderson and Cherokee Counties. Corsicana crews have found 214 pieces after searching 2,500 acres in Navarro County.

  Dive teams led by the U.S. Navy continued their search efforts in Toledo Bend reservoir and Lake Nacogdoches, refining techniques for finding shuttle items using sonars and trained divers.

  No confirmed pieces of shuttle material have been found along the California coast, though volunteers continue to look for any evidence of debris that might have fallen in the ocean and drifted to shore as Columbia continued its journey eastward on Feb. 1. Weather continued to postpone search activities in Nevada and New Mexico.

  Correspondence between NASA Administrator and Columbia Accident Investigation Board Chairman
  Admiral Gehman requests change of personnel on Columbia investigation team in letter dated Feb. 25, 2003. Administrator O'Keefe offers additional personnel from outside the Shuttle program to work with the Board in letter dated Feb. 28.
  + Read Board request in Acrobat PDF ( 143 Kb)
  + Read NASA response in Acrobat PDF (125 Kb)

  Also, it was announced today that this fall's Soyuz Taxi Flight to the ISS (Soyuz TMA-3) will carry the Spanish astronaut bumped from May's flight (Pedro Duque, who flew on STS-95) and most likely a two-man Expedition 8 crew. Duque would return with the Expedition 7 crew. Expedition 6, currently aboard the ISS, has reached their 100-day mark in space. Will Russia be able to keep up with the increased demand for spacecraft?

• 01 March 2003 - Saturday - Columbia's mission, though it ended in tragedy, was a not a total loss. NASA reports:

  Scientists Assess Columbia Experiment Data
  Accident investigators are not the only people studying data from Space Shuttle Columbia. Throughout the 16-day science flight, the crew downlinked video and data from many experiments to researchers on Earth in real time. Those experiment results are providing a wealth of information to scientists involved in the mission.

  David Liskowsky of NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research said, "For those experiments that received downlinked data during the mission, we estimate that anywhere between 50 to 90 percent of the data was acquired."

  More than 80 experiments flew aboard Columbia during STS-107, including investigations into life sciences, combustion research, material sciences and fluid physics. Most of the life science experiments included specimen samples that were lost in the accident, but many of the other experiment results were downlinked during the mission.

  Among the scientific successes of STS-107 were the six experiments of the Space Technology and Research Students, or STARS, program. The student-designed experiments downlinked video and data to the researchers every day, and an estimated 70 percent of the scientific objectives were achieved.

  - Researchers Assess the Status of STS-107 Scientific Data
  - STS-107 Whole Payload % Science Gained Feb. 27, 2003 (66 Kb PDF)

For earlier reports, see Part 3 of our Investigation Journal.

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