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Space Shuttle Columbia

NASA looks to fuel tank in investigation

Shuttle wing lost sensors, maybe heat tiles

On launch day, a piece of insulating foam came off, causing a flash and possibly knocking off heat-resitant tiles.
At launch, a piece of insulating foam came off the external fuel tank, causing a flash and possibly knocking off heat-resistant tiles on the shuttle.

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NASA urges people not to go near debris from Columbia because it could contain toxic substances. People who find debris are asked to call (281) 483-3388. NASA has also set up a Web site  to collect information that may be helpful in the investigation of the shuttle disaster.external link

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Investigators looking for the cause of the space shuttle Columbia disaster are expected to arrive Sunday at Lockheed Martin's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where the shuttle's external fuel tank was built.

The facility has already impounded records pertaining to the production of the 154-foot long fuel tank, company spokeswoman Marion Lansa said.

A piece of foam fell off the tank during launch on January 16, striking heat-resistant tiles on the shuttle's left wing, NASA officials said.

After extensive analysis, NASA officials determined that the mishap did not present a safety concern for the shuttle. But in light of Columbia's disintegration at 200,000 feet -- which followed the failure of some of the sensors on the left wing -- chief flight director Milt Heflin said investigators would take a closer look at the launch-time incident.

NASA has suspended all shuttle flights pending the outcome of the investigation, which will include a review by an independent board led by retired Navy Adm. Harold Gehman, who headed the probe of the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

"We're going to provide all the information in our internal investigation and let the facts speak to what happened," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said Sunday. "And we're going to correct it and move on and be sure that we fly safely, as is our commitment, each and every time we launch and each and every time there's a landing."

NASA officials said the left wing lost hydraulic sensors, lost tire pressure and then experienced intense heat before the shuttle broke up Saturday morning.

The tiles protect the shuttle from the intense heat generated during atmospheric re-entry. However, a few have fallen off during other launches and Mission Control determined during this mission that there was no reason for concern this time.

Besides the tile issue, speculation on the cause includes extreme aerodynamic stresses on the 90-ton shuttle, which has been likened to a flying brick with wings as it plunges from orbit into the atmosphere, controlled not by engines but aerial flaps.

Should a shuttle steer in the wrong direction as it re-enters the atmosphere, going at many times the speed of sound, it could fly out of control and break apart due to the extreme stress, according to science experts.

Federal officials ruled out the possibility of terrorism, given that the shuttle was some 200,000 feet in altitude when it broke apart

The last communication Johnson Space Center had with the Columbia crew before the spacecraft disintegrated referred to tire pressure.

Mission Control: "And Columbia, Houston, we see your tire pressure messages, and we did not copy your last."

Crew member: "Roger." [indiscernible]

After the shuttle Challenger exploded 17 years ago, the shuttle fleet was grounded for two years as it looked into the cause of the mishap and how to prevent it from happening it again.

CNN.com's Richard Stenger contributed to this report.


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