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Glenn Mahone/Doc Mirelson
Headquarters, Washington             Feb. 20, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1600)

Laura Brown
Columbia Accident Investigation Board
(Phone: 281/283-7565)

RELEASE: 03-078

CAIB ADVANCED SIGHTINGS TEAM STATUS

     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{at}nasa.gov

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