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STS-107 MCC Status Report #25
Friday, February 7, 2003 7 p.m. CST
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

The independent board charged with determining what caused the
destruction of Columbia met with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe at
the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston. Space Shuttle Program Manager 
Ron Dittemore flew to the External Tank manufacturer in Michoud, La. 
to discuss processing of the tank with engineers.  Recovery teams 
continued to search for debris. 

Dittemore told an afternoon briefing that a small portion of the
reinforced carbon-carbon insulation of the leading edge of one of the
Shuttle's wings was found in the Fort Worth, Texas area. It measures
approximately 26-27 inches in length and 18 inches wide. It has not
been determined whether it is from the left or right wing. The
magnitude of the search for shuttle debris has expanded, with more
than 1200 people involved in the recovery effort, including 220 from
NASA and 800 National Guardsmen. 

The investigation is entering a new phase, now that the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), chaired by retired Navy Admiral
Harold Gehman, Jr., has taken over the inquiry.

"This will be a long, painstaking process," Dittemore said of the
investigation. "But I am proud of this (Shuttle Program) team. They
have risen to the occasion."

Administrator O'Keefe echoed those statements when he met with
employees at the JSC, praising them for their dedication during a time 
of grief, while vowing that the space program would emerge from the 
accident stronger than ever.

The CAIB will be based near JSC. The CAIB Charter is available on the
Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/board_documents.pdf

In his afternoon briefing, Dittemore presented charts showing the
sequential shutdown of sensors during the final minutes of Columbia's
flight as the orbiter encountered a problem as yet undefined. He also
revealed a fuzzy photo taken by Air Force cameras as Columbia flew
overhead. Dittemore discounted earlier press reports, which
interpreted the damage, as premature. He said, " It is not clear to me 
that this photo reveals anything significant at this point."

While data analysis continued, the residents of the International
Space Station completed their unloading of a Russian Progress resupply 
ship today and conducted a variety of biomedical experiments. 
Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin 
and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are in their 76th day in 
space, their 74th day on board the complex.

With shuttle missions on indefinite hold, NASA managers are discussing 
whether adjustments are needed to the late April launch of a new 
Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. It would be manned by a "taxi" crew that delivers the
craft used for assured crew return to the Station and returns to Earth 
in the Soyuz currently at the station. Potential options are being 
looked at in concert with the International Partners to keep the 
Station manned, safe, and productive. 

While there are no plans to remove the Station crew during the Shuttle 
recovery period, discussions are ongoing to ensure proper manning and 
supplies until Shuttles fly again. Another Progress cargo vehicle is 
scheduled for launch the Station in June to maintain a robust supply 
of food, fuel, and maintenance components.

The Progress at the Station may use its engines early next week to
boost the Station, two nautical miles at its apogee and 10 nautical
miles at its perigee, to place the station at the correct altitude for 
the late April Soyuz launch. A decision will be made Monday when the 
boost will occur. 

On Tuesday, the Expedition 6 crew will field questions from reporters
during a news conference from the Station beginning at 9:34 a.m. EST.
The news conference will be broadcast on NASA Television with two-way
question and answer capability from reporters at NASA centers.

The next STS-107 Accident Response briefings will be on Monday from
NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The time has not yet been
determined. It will also be on NASA TV, with multi-center question and 
answer capability. 

The Johnson Space Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST on
Saturday and Sunday but there will no briefings.

NASA TV is on AMC-2, Transponder 9C, vertical polarization at 85
degrees west longitude, 3880 MHz, with audio at 6.8 MHz.

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