The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB)
Advanced Sightings Team is working to pinpoint the location
of hardware that may have separated from the Space Shuttle
Columbia early in its final path over the western United
States.

The team is bringing together data from the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the public,
Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the
United States Geologic Survey (USGS) and all other sources of
valuable information that become available. The collaboration
of all these organizations has been outstanding. The team is
piecing together the information from these sources to learn
as much as possible about anomalous conditions during the
entry of Columbia. Examples of information that is being
brought to bear are:

  • On orbit photography and analysis- DOD
  • Radar searches- DOD
  • Infrasonic data- DOE, NOAA
  • Tracking of possible on orbit object from Columbia 1/17/ 03 and analysis- DOD
  • Launch Analysis- DOD
  • Identification of entry shedding events- DOD
  • Kirtland photo analysis- DOD

This team is analyzing video footage turned in by space
flight enthusiasts and other sources of information to
document exactly when these events occurred. The earliest
shedding of Shuttle hardware may well have been documented by
videos taken near the California coast. The team identifies
anomalous events from the video data and correlates them to
the entry timeline.

Analysts calculate the exact time and angles of the
observation by determining exactly where the videos were
taken from and by identifying planets or star fields in the
background. The team calculates trajectories to predict
probabilities of where the debris may have fallen to Earth by
estimating properties of possible debris from the video and
incorporating known atmospheric and wind data. Radar data is
then retrieved and investigated to search for specific
signatures. This process serves to drastically reduce the
area that must be searched.

The Advanced Sightings Team is making significant progress in
accurately characterizing possible debris events. They are in
the process of making the subsequent calculations and taking
the next steps. The most western find is still not far from
Fort Worth, Texas. Using this process and other possible
means, we hope debris discovered farther west would help to
unravel the mystery of why this tragedy occurred.

The CAIB and NASA continue to encourage all who have videos
or who identify potential Columbia hardware to contribute to
the success of this investigation by contacting us as soon as
possible. If you find hardware, you should contact local
authorities. Avoid touching it in case it is contaminated
with toxic substances.

The public can contact the CAIB toll free at: 1-866/446-6603;
or by email at:

columbiaimages@nasa.gov