Feuer Frei!
08-04-11, 12:13 AM
A piece of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke apart and burned on re-entry more than eight years ago, has been found in a drought-stricken East Texas lake, NASA officials said Tuesday.The spherical object, about 40 inches in diameter, was exposed by low levels at Lake Nacogdoches, about 140 miles northeast of Houston. NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone said the object was one of 16 tanks that flew aboard Columbia.
The aluminum tank was part of the shuttle's electrical power distribution system. Now full of mud, the tank either held liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen when it operated on Columbia.
Officials said they are working on a plan to recover the tank and bring it back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where other debris from Columbia's wreckage that's been previously found is stored.
"We are working out the details with local authorities," Malone said. "It's not toxic or hazardous in any way. We're not in a big rush to get it back over."
The shuttle broke apart and burned on Feb. 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboard and scattering shuttle pieces across East Texas. The shuttle had been damaged at launch by foam insulation that fell off an external fuel tank.
SOURCE (http://www.military.com/news/article/columbia-shuttle-item-found-in-texas-lake.html)
The aluminum tank was part of the shuttle's electrical power distribution system. Now full of mud, the tank either held liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen when it operated on Columbia.
Officials said they are working on a plan to recover the tank and bring it back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where other debris from Columbia's wreckage that's been previously found is stored.
"We are working out the details with local authorities," Malone said. "It's not toxic or hazardous in any way. We're not in a big rush to get it back over."
The shuttle broke apart and burned on Feb. 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboard and scattering shuttle pieces across East Texas. The shuttle had been damaged at launch by foam insulation that fell off an external fuel tank.
SOURCE (http://www.military.com/news/article/columbia-shuttle-item-found-in-texas-lake.html)