For Immediate Release
CAIB PR 05-03
Date: February 20, 2003
Contact: Laura Brown, 281-283-7565 or 281-467-8657
Contact: Lt. Col Woody Woodyard, 281-283-7520 or 713-301-2244
Advanced Sightings Team Brings Together Many Data Sources
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), the 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.
Anyone who would like to report finding a piece of debris, can contact the CAIB toll-free at: 1-866-446-6603; or by email at: columbiaimages@nasa.gov
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