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Foam still part of shuttle probeCrucial camera took blurry photos
(CNN) -- Launch photos that could have shed light on what brought about the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew will not help the investigation because they are too blurry, according to NASA. "It's a disappointment that the camera with the very best [launch] view turned out to be out of focus," shuttle flight manager Ron Dittemore said Thursday. "We've tried to look at alternate camera views, but we know we're not going to get the best view that we could have." The shuttle, with seven astronauts onboard, broke up over Texas during a re-entry attempt on Saturday, shortly after experiencing high heat and air resistance on its left side and wing. The possibility that a piece of external fuel tank foam struck and damaged heat-insulation tiles on the shuttle's left wing during launch was an early suspect. Dittemore downplayed the scenario Wednesday, but said Thursday that no explanation had been ruled out and that foam debris would be studied vigorously. "The analysis is starting anew," he told reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We're still planning to conduct testing to better understand the foam and its potential impact." (Full story) 'Lost explorers' eulogizedIn Washington, at a crew memorial service at the National Cathedral, Vice President Dick Cheney and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe vowed that U.S. exploration of space will go on. "We are here to honor the memory of seven lost explorers," said Cheney, adding that the crew members of Columbia were bound together in the great cause of discovery and driven by "a fierce determination" to make life on Earth better by unlocking the mysteries of space. "While many memorials will be built to honor Columbia's crew, their greatest memorial will be a vibrant space program with new missions carried out by a new generation of brave explorers," he said. (Full story) Looting amnesty ticks downIn Texas, some 700 people braved a steady downpour on a bone-chilling Thursday to comb Sabine County's rugged terrain for shuttle debris. Searchers included 15 ground crews of 350 people, a team of 14 people on horseback, members of the National Guard, FBI and Louisiana State Police and a number off-duty NASA workers. Volunteers joined the representatives of some 50 federal, state and local agencies. People who have picked up shuttle debris have until 5 p.m. Friday to turn it in or risk prosecution, according to U.S. Attorney Mike Shelby in Houston. Two people were charged Wednesday with stealing shuttle debris. There also are 17 open investigations of people who have supposedly tried to sell shuttle debris on the Internet auction site eBay, Shelby said.
Choppy waters also slowed efforts at the Toledo Bend Reservoir to retrieve a 20-foot-long object that could be part of the shuttle. Witnesses reported seeing a chunk the size of a compact car fall into the reservoir, which straddles Texas and Louisiana. (Full Story) In Nacogdoches County, Texas, where much of the shuttle fell after it disintegrated, investigators have cleared 70 high-priority debris sites -- with more than 800 remaining. (Debris map) The loss of the shuttle resulted in the deaths of Columbia commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; payload commander Michael Anderson; mission specialists David Brown, Laurel Clark and Kalpana Chawla; and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
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