Full Mission Coverage ---------- Investigation Status Center Mission Status Center STS-107 Facts and Figures STS-107 Facts and Figures (part 2) STS-107 Flight Hardware STS-107 Master Flight Plan STS-107 Launch Timeline STS-107 Key Personnel STS-107 Entry Timeline Spacewalk Statistics Space Shuttle Chronology Space Demographic Data (through STS-107)

Report blasts NASA for Columbia tragedy The Columbia Accident Investigation Board released its long-awaited report today, blaming the Feb. 1 disaster on bureaucratic inertia, slipshod internal communications and ineffective management at the top levels of NASA.    FULL STORY    STS-107 STORY ARCHIVE    COVERAGE FROM FEBRUARY 1 Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: WATCH TODAY'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW NASA vows to implement recommendations NASA will use the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's final report as a blueprint for correcting the problems that led to the Feb. 1 shuttle disaster and returning the shuttle safely to flight, Administrator Sean O'Keefe said today.    FULL STORY On-orbit tile, RCC repair required to resume flights NASA must develop the capability to repair damaged heat shield tiles in orbit, as well as cracks or breaches in the reinforced carbon carbon panels making up the shuttle's wing leading edges, before space shuttles return to flight, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board says.    FULL STORY Columbia report released The Columbia Accident Investigation Board, led by Admiral Hal Gehman has published its final report into the loss of the shuttle during reentry on February 1. Spaceflight Now is publishing unedited extracts from the report:    BOARD STATEMENT    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Board issues recommendations In its final report the Columbia Accident Investigation Board makes 29 recommendations, 15 of which are deemed necessary before the shuttle can return to flight.    RECOMMENDATIONS    FINDINGS Decision-making during the flight of STS-107 This lengthy portion of the report details how management decisions made during Columbia's final flight reflect missed opportunities, blocked or ineffective communications channels, flawed analysis, and ineffective leadership.    FULL SECTION CAIB addresses fate of Columbia's astronauts The Columbia Accident Investigation Board, in its final report, provided new insights into how the shuttle broke apart and the fate of the orbiter's crew. For the record, here are those observations.    FULL STORY Report looks at possibility of rescue or repair To put the decisions made during the flight of STS-107 into perspective, the Board asked NASA to determine if there were options for the safe return of the Columbia crew. In this study, NASA was asked to evaluate the possibility of rescuing the crew by launching Atlantis or repairing damage to Columbia's wing on orbit.    FULL STORY Statement by the President President George W. Bush today issued a statement regarding the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's report, pledging that "our journey into space will go on."    READ THE STATEMENT NASA administrator accepts Columbia accident report This morning, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe received the report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board from the chairman, retired U.S. Navy Admiral Harold Gehman. The following is a statement from the NASA Administrator regarding the CAIB report.    READ THE STATEMENT Comments from co-chair of Return to Flight Task Group "Over the coming days and months we will carefully study the board's report and findings, review, digest and assess NASA's plans for implementing the board's recommendations, and provide the NASA Administrator -- and the public -- with our assessments as they pertain to the safety and operational readiness of the STS-114 space shuttle mission."    READ THE STATEMENT NASA mulls changes for next space shuttle flight The addition of a time-consuming tile inspection on the next shuttle flight, a spacewalk to test new tile repair equipment and techniques and lack of a third space station crew member to assist in equipment transfer work is forcing NASA managers to consider major changes to reduce the crew's workload.    FULL STORY Guam school to be renamed in honor of NASA astronaut Guam South Elementary/Middle School will be renamed after space shuttle Columbia pilot Willie McCool. A former Navy test pilot, McCool had close ties to Guam. He attended two middle and high school there from 1975 to 1977.    FULL STORY Sailors recognized for help in Columbia recovery NASA astronaut Jim Reilly recently presided over an awards ceremony, held at Naval Amphibious Base, that recognized sailors for their search efforts of space shuttle Columbia.    FULL STORY Shuttle return-to-flight task group outlines plans The co-chairman of a panel charged with assessing how well NASA meets the intent of recommendations from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Thursday he's not sure the agency will have time to implement critical management changes before shuttle flights resume next year.    FULL STORY Coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: WATCH ENTIRE DICK COVEY NEWS CONFERENCE QT    AUDIO: LISTEN TO THE TASK GROUP'S FIRST PUBLIC MEETING QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Asteroids dedicated to fallen Columbia astronauts The final crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia was memorialized in the cosmos as seven asteroids orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter were named in their honor Wednesday.    FULL STORY NASA deputy chief declines 'culture' questions NASA will respond to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's recommendations "almost to the letter," a senior agency official said Tuesday. But Frederick Gregory, NASA's deputy administrator, downplayed widely publicized criticism of NASA's management culture, saying "it would be difficult for me to define to you what the 'NASA culture' is."    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: NASA OFFICIALS HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE TUESDAY QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Columbia board: NASA needs better imaging The Columbia Accident Investigation Board has issued its fifth preliminary finding and recommendation to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in advance of its appearance in the final report.    FULL STORY Ham overcome by emotion when describing anguish In an emotion-charged meeting with reporters, Linda Ham, chairman of NASA's mission management team and a lightning rod for criticism of decisions made - or not made - during the shuttle Columbia's ill-fated voyage, spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday, defending NASA's management practices but agreeing major changes are needed.    FULL STORY Management team hardly discussed foam strike Transcripts of meetings by senior NASA managers during the shuttle Columbia's ill-fated flight show mission management team chairman Linda Ham and other top officials, despite a dearth of technical data, simply did not believe falling insulation from the ship's external fuel tank could cause a catastrophic breach in the ship's left wing.    FULL STORY Audio coverage for subscribers only:    AUDIO: STS-107 MMT Meeting January 17 QT    AUDIO: STS-107 MMT Meeting January 21 QT    AUDIO: STS-107 MMT Meeting January 24 QT    AUDIO: STS-107 MMT Meeting January 27 QT    AUDIO: STS-107 MMT Meeting January 30 QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Crew module likely survived shuttle breakup The astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia, strapped into a reinforced module built to withstand extreme forces, likely survived a minute or more beyond the commander's final transmission, sources say. Engineers believe the crew died when the module, buffeted by increasingly extreme aerodynamic forces, finally broke open as it plunged steeply into the thickening atmosphere above Texas.    FULL STORY Detailed failure scenario released by Columbia board The Columbia Accident Investigation Board has released a definitive scenario detailing the doomed shuttle's countdown, launch and re-entry, a scenario that merges all available telemetry from the orbiter, recorded data, debris analysis and complex computer simulations. The result is the most complete picture yet showing how a foam strike during launch punched a catastrophic hole in the shuttle's left wing that led to the ship's destruction during re-entry Feb. 1.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: FINAL INVESTIGATION BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    VIDEO: FOAM IMPACT TEST NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Foam impact test blows hole in shuttle wing panel In a dramatic test that drew startled gasps from onlookers, engineers fired a chunk of foam insulation at a mockup of a shuttle wing leading edge Monday, blowing a gaping 16-inch-wide hole in the carbon composite structure and putting to rest any lingering doubts a launch-day foam strike was responsible for the Columbia disaster.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: SLOW MOTION REPLAY OF FOAM IMPACT QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Shuttle program announces personnel changes Space Shuttle Program Manager Bill Parsons has announced several key leadership changes within the office as it reorganizes and evolves following the Columbia accident.    FULL STORY Board issues launch imaging recommendation The Columbia Accident Investigation Board on Tuesday issued its fourth preliminary finding and recommendation to NASA. The recommendation calls for an upgrade to the imaging system that tracks space shuttle during launch and requiring that cameras being working before liftoffs can occur.    FULL STORY Foam strike email to shuttle commander released The commander of the shuttle Columbia was informed about the foam strike most believe led to the ship's destruction in a casual email from mission control a full week after liftoff. Even though NASA's internal analysis of the foam incident was not yet complete, the email dismissed any concern about the strike as "not even worth mentioning" and said the only reason it was being brought up was to make sure the astronauts were not surprised by a question from reporters during upcoming interviews.    FULL STORY Board issues tile repair recommendation As expected, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board has released an interim recommendation requiring NASA to develop a capability to inspect the shuttle's heat shield system in orbit and to repair any significant damage that might be found.    FULL STORY Foam 'most probable' cause of Columbia disaster A member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Tuesday, for the first time, that a foam strike during the shuttle's launching is the "most probable cause" of the disaster. He also said analysis of recovered debris indicates a large portion of the ship's left wing broke off in the shuttle's final seconds at the point where the catastrophic breach occurred.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: WATCH TUESDAY'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Space shuttle tile repair options in development Shuttle engineers believe the tools and techniques needed for spacewalking repair crews to access and patch areas of potentially catastrophic damage to an orbiter's heat-shield tiles should be in place by the end of the year, sources say, assuming upcoming tests go well.    FULL STORY Space shuttle flights could restart in December NASA expects to announce its shuttle return to flight plans soon after the Columbia Accident Investigation Board reports this summer and could realistically resume missions as early as December, a senior space agency official said Wednesday.    FULL STORY Engineers assess bi-pod redesign options NASA is considering five options for redesigning the so-called "bi-pod" ramp system on the shuttle's external fuel tank, the area where a chunk of foam insulation broke away during Columbia's launch, hit the left wing and possibly caused a catastrophic breach. The currently favored option calls for eliminating the use of foam in the area in favor of an exposed fitting equipped with heaters to prevent pre-launch ice buildups.    FULL STORY Bolt catcher a possible return to flight issue Accident investigators have stumbled on a potentially catastrophic shortcoming in the explosive bolt attachment system used to latch a space shuttle's boosters to its external fuel tank. While there is no evidence Columbia was struck by falling debris from a faulty "bolt catcher" during its launching Jan. 16, corrective actions almost certainly will be required before shuttle flights resume.    FULL STORY Foam impact cracks wing leading edge panel In a potentially significant breakthrough, engineers fired a 1.7-pound chunk of foam insulation at shuttle wing mockup Friday, visibly cracking a leading edge panel in a test that strongly supports the widely held hypothesis that a foam strike during Columbia's launch doomed the orbiter and its crew.    FULL STORY Test postponed because of weather conditions Stormy weather in Texas forced the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to delay a critical test designed to find out whether foam debris could have caused the kind of wing leading edge damage that doomed the shuttle and its crew during re-entry.    FULL STORY    PREVIEW STORY Galaxy mission honors lost Columbia crew NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has gathered its first celestial images, a "first light" milestone dedicated to the crew of the space shuttle Columbia. The ultraviolet survey mission, launched on April 28 from Cape Canaveral, made the observations using its onboard telescope.    FULL STORY Foam impact test causes significant T-seal movement Engineers for the first time Thursday fired a large chunk of foam insulation at a Fiberglass wing leading edge panel, knocking a so-called T-seal out of place and leaving a long gap between two panels. Such a gap on a real shuttle wing leading edge would provide an entry point for deadly super-heated gas during the descent from orbit.    FULL STORY - updated Demonstration flight not likely for space shuttle The chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Wednesday he has no plans to require NASA to recertify shuttle systems before flights resume or to mount a test flight of some sort to validate recommended design changes or to collect more data.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: WATCH WEDNESDAY'S BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Columbia rescue mission feasible, but unlikely If NASA managers had realized early on that Columbia had suffered a catastrophic breach in its left wing during launch - either by obtaining satellite imagery or, more likely, by having the astronauts stage an inspection spacewalk - they might have had time to mount a repair spacewalk or even an emergency rescue mission with the shuttle Atlantis, the chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Friday.    FULL STORY Slag on shuttle debris suggests location of breach Based on chemical analysis of slag found on the back side of a wing leading edge fragment, investigators now believe the breach that destroyed the shuttle Columbia occurred at or very near the lower inboard corner of reinforced carbon carbon panel No. 8, very close to where a so-called T-seal was mounted between RCC panels 7 and 8.    FULL STORY Spaceflight Now Plus: Columbia press briefing Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board held their near-weekly news conference in Houston on Tuesday, updating reporters and the public on the progress of the inquiry. Video coverage for subscribers only:    AUDIO: WATCH ENTIRE 62-MINUTE NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW NASA chief, CAIB chairman testify at Senate hearing A Senate hearing held in Washington on Wednesday saw NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Columbia Accident Investigation Board chairman Hal Gehman answer questions about the shuttle tragedy, what could have been done to save the astronauts and the controversy over NASA's decision not to seek spy satellite images of Columbia. The entire hearing is presented here for Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers. Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: SENATORS MAKE OPENING STATEMENTS QT    VIDEO: ADMINISTRATOR SEAN O'KEEFE OPENING STATEMENT QT    VIDEO: CAIB CHAIRMAN HAL GEHMAN OPENING COMMENTS QT    VIDEO: QUESTIONING OF O'KEEFE AND GEHMAN DURING HEARING QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Clearest video yet of foam strike as tests get underway The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Tuesday released the clearest video yet showing a tumbling piece of foam insulation slamming into the shuttle's left wing during launch Jan. 16. Investigators say the enhanced video, along with ongoing mathematical modeling, indicates the foam slammed into the wing at some 529 mph with a ton of force.    FULL STORY Initial foam tests cause only minor damage to tiles Researchers have begun initial test runs firing external fuel tank foam insulation at a shuttle landing gear door in a bid to calibrate damage prediction software and to assess how much damage high-speed impacts might actually do to a shuttle's heat-shield tiles. Engineers ultimately plan to fire foam debris at a mockup of the shuttle's wing leading edge system, the location of the breach that doomed Columbia.    FULL STORY NASA to name next shuttle program manager NASA plans to name a new space shuttle program manager Friday to replace Ronald Dittemore, the widely-respected man in charge during the Columbia disaster who announced his retirement late last month, sources say.    FULL STORY CAIB accepts, agrees with NASA failure scenario For the first time, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board has endorsed a detailed failure scenario developed by NASA and contractor engineers that traces the shuttle's destruction to a breach in the ship's left wing at or near leading edge panels 8 and 9.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TESTIMONY ON LAUNCH FILM AND VIDEO ANALYSIS QT    VIDEO: LATEST REVISION OF ACCIDENT TIMELINE PRESENTED QT    VIDEO: HEARING PANEL DISCUSSES 'FLIGHT DAY 2' OBJECT QT    VIDEO: PRESENTATIONS ON DEBRIS SEARCH AND RECOVERY QT    VIDEO: THIS WEEK'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Columbia could not be saved, NASA study shows As NASA and independent investigators close in on the root cause of the Columbia disaster, one question lingers in the minds of many armchair analysts: What, if anything, could have been done to save the crew if engineers had known early on that the orbiter had a non-survivable breach in the leading edge of its left wing?    FULL STORY Breach moves slightly inboard; key tests on tap Ongoing analysis of recovered debris from the shuttle Columbia indicates the deadly breach in the ship's left wing may have been centered on a broken leading edge panel and not slightly outboard at a so-called "T-seal" as investigators were thinking last week, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said Tuesday.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: THIS WEEK'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW NASA, CAIB investigators compare notes on disaster The NASA Accident Investigation Team presented results of the agency's on-going analysis of the Columbia disaster to the independent board charged with finding the root cause of the disaster. That presentation is believed to have included one or more possible "best-fit" scenarios based on telemetry, recorded data and debris recovered to date.    FULL STORY Board to revamp NASA management organization In case there were any doubts, the chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board says that finding the root cause of the shuttle disaster is only part of the panel's charter and that lawmakers in Washington have made it clear they expect broad changes in NASA's organizational structure. And that's exactly what they're going to get.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: FORMER OFFICIALS DISCUSS DESIGNING THE SHUTTLE QT    VIDEO: PART 2 OF HEARING WITH SHUTTLE EXPERTS QT    VIDEO: AIRCRAFT AGING AND RELATION TO SHUTTLE PROGRAM QT    VIDEO: AUTHOR OF CHALLENGER BOOK TESTIFIES QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Dittemore to leave after accident probe complete Shuttle program manager Ronald Dittemore, the straight-talking "voice of NASA" credited with boosting the agency's image in the immediate aftermath of the Columbia disaster, will leave NASA after an independent accident investigation board completes its work, he told reporters Wednesday.    FULL STORY - updated    EARLIER STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW NASA scenario for loss of Columbia and crew refined Investigators probing the Columbia disaster are developing an increasingly detailed scenario that explains the sequence of events that led to Columbia's destruction, a scenario that matches up with telemetry and recorded data as well as the damage seen in recovered debris.    FULL STORY Dittemore departing NASA, sources say Shuttle program manager Ronald Dittemore, the clean-cut, straight-talking engineer whose daily briefings in the wake of the Columbia disaster won widespread respect, plans to leave NASA in the near future, sources say, presumably to take a job in private industry.    FULL STORY Photo gallery provides glimpse into debris search On April 16, officials from NASA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service and the news media toured a space shuttle Columbia recovery area near Palestine, Texas. Here is a gallery of images taken that day:    ENTER PHOTO GALLERY Board issues preliminary recommendations As expected, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Thursday released its first two interim recommendations to NASA, calling for routine spy satellite imagery of shuttles in orbit and detailed pre-flight inspections of the protective panels on the leading edges of the shuttle's wings. A breach in a reinforced carbon carbon (RCC) panel on Columbia's left wing is believed to have triggered the shuttle's breakup during re-entry Feb. 1.    FULL STORY    BOARD STATEMENT Administrator O'Keefe visits Texas search teams Senior NASA officials toured parts of the space shuttle Columbia debris field in East Texas Wednesday, thanking searchers for their work as the massive recovery operation enters its final weeks.    FULL STORY Suspected Columbia wing breach location moved Ongoing analysis of sensor data and recovered debris indicate the deadly breach in the shuttle Columbia's left wing was located slightly outboard of the best previous guess, possibly at or near the intersection of leading edge panels 8 and 9, investigators said Tuesday.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S ACCIDENT BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    VIDEO: LAST WEEK'S COLUMBIA BOARD NEWS BRIEFING QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW No 'privileged' testimony to be made public Harold Gehman, chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, said Tuesday two interim recommendations will be released late this week or early next and that the panel likely will write its final report in June. Gehman also said "privileged," or confidential testimony from senior shuttle managers, engineers and technicians, will never be made public, either in a public hearing or in final report transcripts.    FULL STORY Experts recount two decades of debris shedding The shedding of foam insulation from space shuttle external tanks was never considered a safety-of-flight issue, experts told the Columbia Accident Investigation Board this week. But tank engineers have worried for more than 20 years about potentially catastrophic impacts and a top level program requirement held that any shedding of large, potentially dangerous pieces of debris was forbidden.    FULL STORY Carrier panel thought to be mystery object in orbit The radar signature of an object floating away from the shuttle Columbia on the second day of its mission matches up well with a wing leading edge carrier panel, members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board revealed Tuesday. If Columbia began its ill-fated re-entry with a missing carrier panel, enough heat could have entered the left wing to trigger the catastrophic chain of events that led to the shuttle's destruction.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S ACCIDENT BOARD NEWS BRIEFING QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Gehman calls recorder data a 'treasure trove' Ongoing analysis of a "treasure trove" of data from a recorder recovered in the wreckage of the shuttle Columbia shows a deadly plume of super-heated air first began eating its way into the ship's left wing just five minutes after the orbiter fell into the discernible atmosphere. The sudden temperature increase, in a cavity behind the U-shaped panels making up the leading edge of the left wing, came a full three minutes earlier than previous telemetry indicated the start of unusual heating.    FULL STORY More internal NASA emails released to public NASA has posted nearly 30 megabytes of internal email traffic and attachments regarding the potential threat of foam debris striking the shuttle Columbia's left wing; concerns about corrosion that could interfere with proper operation of the ship's body flap during entry; and discussions regarding Columbia's heavier-than-usual landing weight.    FULL STORY Temperature rose in wing earlier than known A data recorder recovered in the wreckage of the shuttle Columbia shows hot gas entered the leading edge of the spacecraft's left wing within 16 seconds of the point when the orbiter entered the region of maximum aerodynamic heating during re-entry Feb. 1.    FULL STORY Plan calls for shuttles to be imaged by spy satellites The National Imagery and Mapping Agency, one of the government organizations that sets targets for spy satellites, has agreed to routinely inspect space shuttles in orbit for signs of possible damage.    FULL STORY Teams studying Columbia data recorder tape A preliminary review of Columbia's OEX data recorder indicates that potential data may exist as late as 9:00:18 a.m. EST on Feb. 1. That would be several seconds after the last known data received on the ground from Columbia and just moments before the vehicle broke apart.    INVESTIGATION STATUS CENTER    TIMELINE OF COLUMBIA'S FINAL HOUR Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: COLUMBIA DATA RECORDER ARRIVES AT KSC QT    MORE COLUMBIA INVESTIGATION VIDEO    SUBSCRIBE NOW Foam impact centered on panel 6 of wing's edge Engineers hope to begin analyzing data this weekend from a recovered tape recorder that stored readings from some 721 sensors throughout the shuttle Columbia during its final 45 minutes of flight. Analysts hope the data will help them precisely map out the flow of hot gas through the doomed ship's left wing to confirm and refine - or possibly modify - current theories about where the initial breach occurred and how the deadly plume then worked its way through the interior of the wing.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: NASA OFFICIALS TESTIFY ON DEBRIS COLLECTION QT    VIDEO: EXPERTS DISCUSS DEBRIS ANALYSIS, RECONSTRUCTION QT    VIDEO: COLUMBIA ACCIDENT BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Expert says NASA lost sight of safety margin An independent aerospace expert told the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Tuesday NASA managers somehow missed the obvious when it came to the potential threat of foam debris falling off the space shuttle's external fuel tank.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: DIRECTOR OF KENNEDY SPACE CENTER TESTIFIES QT    VIDEO: CHIEF OF SHUTTLE PROCESSING SAFETY IS QUESTIONED QT    VIDEO: TECHNICAL AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT APPEARS QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Recovered data tape in relatively good condition Magnetic tape inside a data recorder recovered last week in Texas appears to be in remarkably good shape. Engineers are increasingly optimistic about recovering potentially valuable data from the salvaged tape that could shed additional light on the aerodynamic forces and temperatures the shuttle experienced during its final minutes.    FULL STORY NASA's Columbia mishap team reorganized NASA has announced a revamped management team to oversee the agency's internal investigation of the Columbia disaster in accordance with a request made late last month by the independent Columbia Accident Investigation Board.    FULL STORY Data recorder recovered; could hold key insights Search crews walking a grid near Hemphill, Texas, have found the shuttle Columbia's orbiter experiments recorder, or OEX, a tape recorder that stored key data about the shuttle's performance during re-entry.    FULL STORY Hearing shows work to piece together known data As investigators increasingly focus on a breach at or just behind the leading edge of the shuttle Columbia's left wing as the root cause of the Feb. 1 disaster, engineers poring over telemetry from the doomed ship are zeroing in on exactly where the breach must have occurred - and how it must have propagated - to explain the orbiter's response to the resulting aerodynamic forces that ultimately ripped the ship apart.    FULL STORY Hearing focuses on debris, breakup mechanics A NASA flight director told the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Monday he was amazed the doomed spacecraft was able to continue flying in relatively normal fashion for nearly 10 minutes while shedding multiple pieces of flaming debris as a plume of superheated air burned its way into the stricken ship's left wing.    FULL STORY    INVESTIGATION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: THE BOARD HEARS FROM DR WILLIAM AILOR QT    VIDEO: USA'S DOUG WHITE & NASA'S PAUL HILL TESTIFY QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Columbia timeline updated The following timeline was compiled by William Harwood, CBS News, from telemetry data (through revision 15 of NASA's internal timeline) and transcriptions of the NASA-Select commentary, mission control audio loops and portions of an in-cabin video recovered after the accident. The relevant data sources were released by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.    SEE THE TIMELINE - Updated Friday Readdy says 'no rationale' for spy satellite inspection William Readdy, associate administrator for spaceflight and a former shuttle commander, told the Columbia Accident Investigation Board he did not consider asking for a spy satellite inspection of Columbia's left wing during the doomed ship's mission because the agency had already concluded the shuttle could land safely.    FULL STORY Debris may strengthen breach scenario Investigators have recovered debris from the shuttle Columbia that appears to support the increasingly held belief that the doomed ship's left landing gear door remained in place as a plume of super-heated air entering through a breach near the leading edge of the left wing wreaked havoc inside the wheel well.    FULL STORY Board studies wing edge, wind shear, foam repair The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Tuesday showed video of Columbia's launching that indicates foam debris falling away from the ship's external fuel tank slammed into the lower leading edge of the orbiter's left wing within a few feet of where it merged with the fuselage.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S INVESTIGATION BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Team talked foam impact analysis just after disaster NASA managers meeting 90 minutes after the Columbia disaster Feb. 1 discussed a re-analysis of the potential damage caused by foam debris slamming into the shuttle's left wing during launch. But senior managers decided the public would be told, during an initial press conference, that the debris hit "on the left wing was reviewed and not determined to be safety of flight issue."    FULL STORY Email author 'frustrated' by misinterpretation Robert Daugherty, a senior engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, said Monday his widely publicized emails outlining various dire scenarios for the shuttle Columbia's re-entry Feb. 1 were misinterpreted by the media.    FULL STORY Data shows autopilot on through last transmission A computer alarm generated in the final two seconds of data from Columbia suggests one of the pilots' joystick hand controllers may have been briefly engaged, but the autopilot was never deactivated before contact was lost.    FULL STORY NASA works to eliminate failure scenarios Working through a process of elimination, NASA engineers are focusing on 10 major failure scenarios - and combinations thereof - to explain what went wrong during the shuttle Columbia's catastrophic re-entry.    FULL STORY Plume may have entered wheel well from within wing NASA engineers struggling to match up telemetry from the shuttle Columbia's left wing and hot gas flow patterns found in wing debris increasingly suspect a plume of hot gas may have entered the wing from a breach at or near the leading edge area, close to the ship's fuselage, and worked its way into the left main landing gear wheel well.    FULL STORY Investigators begin public hearings into accident Shuttle program manager Ronald Dittemore, testifying Thursday before the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, said safety is the agency's "lifeblood" and that his door is always open to any lower-level engineer who might be worried a safety issue is not being properly addressed.    FULL STORY    INVESTIGATION STATUS CENTER - latest updates Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: JSC DIRECTOR HOWELL QUESTIONED AT HEARING QT    VIDEO: PART 1 OF RON DITTEMORE'S TESTIMONY QT    VIDEO: PART 2 OF RON DITTEMORE'S TESTIMONY QT    VIDEO: FOAM EXPERT FROM BOEING GOES BEFORE THE BOARD QT    VIDEO: AUTHOR OF SHUTTLE PROGRAM REPORT TESTIFIES QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW New members added to Columbia board Columbia Accident Investigation Board Chairman Admiral Hal Gehman asked NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe to appoint three new members to the CAIB. The appointments were immediately approved, the agency announced Wednesday.    FULL STORY 'Slag' suggests extreme heating near front of wing The Columbia board has not yet pinned down the location of catastrophic breach that allowed superheated air to enter the doomed ship's left wing during re-entry Feb. 1. But intriguing deposits of aluminum-and-steel slag behind panels making up the leading edge of Columbia's left wing near where it joins the fuselage suggest the breach may have occurred toward the front of the wing.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S INVESTIGATION BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Video shows crew unaware of impending disaster Minutes before the shuttle Columbia broke apart 207,000 feet above Texas, commander Rick Husband and his crewmates marveled at the hot gas surrounding the spaceplane as it plunged deeper and deeper into the atmosphere.    FULL STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: VETERAN SHUTTLE COMMANDER EXPLAINS THE VIDEO QT    VIDEO: WATCH THE ENTIRE IN-CABIN VIDEO RELEASED BY NASA QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW O'Keefe says station set for two-man caretaker crew Speaking on Capitol Hill, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said Thursday the space station's international partners have agreed to keep the lab complex manned with rotating two-person crews launched aboard Russian Soyuz ferry craft until space shuttles return to flight.    FULL STORY - updated! Photo of debris from area near left gear door released The Columbia Accident Investigation Board released a photograph Thursday evening showing a heavily damaged, almost melted looking segment of left wing debris from an area near the ship's left main landing gear door.    FULL STORY    INVESTIGATION STATUS CENTER - latest updates Flight controllers downplay emails about Columbia Mechanical systems officer Jeff Kling, the flight controller who first noticed problems in the shuttle Columbia's left wing during re-entry Feb. 1, said Wednesday he had no idea a disaster was about to unfold and that "what-if" discussions he had by email the day before were just that and not an indication of any real concern on his part.    FULL STORY Latest release of emails show wing concern lingered Despite NASA's oft-stated position that no one was overly worried about potentially catastrophic damage to the shuttle Columbia's left wing after launch, engineers and even some flight controllers continued to debate worst-case "what if" scenarios as late as the afternoon before the orbiter's destruction, according to internal emails released today.    FULL STORY Cockpit video found; tape ends before problems A fragment of videotape shot by one of the astronauts on Columbia's flight deck during the early stages of re-entry Feb. 1 has been recovered by NASA. But sources say the heat-damaged tape ends before the onset of problems in the left wing that ultimately led to the orbiter's destruction and the deaths of the ship's crew. As such, the tape provides no insight into the mishap.    FULL STORY    CLOSE-UP VIEW OF DAMAGED TILE Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S INVESTIGATION BOARD NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Air Force tracking site viewed orbiting Columbia NASA has released a series of visible and infrared images of the orbiting space shuttle Columbia were taken by the U.S. Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site on January 28 as the spacecraft flew above the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands.    VISIBLE IMAGES OF COLUMBIA IN ORBIT    INFRARED IMAGES OF COLUMBIA IN ORBIT More internal emails show concern over launch impact A post-launch analysis by Boeing engineers shows three pieces of debris falling off Columbia's external fuel tank 82 seconds after launch slammed into the orbiter's left wing. While the Boeing team concluded Columbia could safely land despite potential damage to the shuttle's fragile heat-shield tiles, internal agency emails released Friday raised potentially troubling questions about how the damage was assessed within NASA and how widespread discussion of its possible impact really was.    FULL STORY    INVESTIGATION STATUS CENTER - latest updates New data shows Columbia's state in final moments The shuttle Columbia's fuselage remained essentially intact for at least a half minute after the commander's final transmission, according to sources familiar with an ongoing analysis of the last 32 seconds of telemetry from the doomed spacecraft. The astronauts almost certainly had some awareness of the unfolding disaster, but there is no insight at this point to indicate what they might have known, or when.    FULL STORY 1980 NASA contract issued for tile repair kit In January 1980, NASA announced a contract to develop a kit for astronauts to repair damaged heat shield tiles on the space shuttle. No such kit has been flown on a shuttle in recent memory, but the release makes for interesting reading in light of the shuttle Columbia's catastrophic breakup during re-entry Feb. 1. Here is the text of the Jan. 22, 1980, news release:    FULL STORY Crew agrees manned space in 'very serious situation' The commander of the international space station said today if the shuttle remains grounded for a prolonged period, and if the Russians cannot produce more Progress supply ships, the orbiting laboratory may not be able to support even two-person "caretaker" crews for any extended period.    FULL STORY    INVESTIGATION STATUS CENTER - latest updates