Russ, try to get your paws on recent issues of Aviation Week & Space
Technology.
This week's issue goes into detail how the investigation is leading towards RCC
(Reinforced Carbon-Carbon) leading edge panel #6 is the chief suspect for
leaking
hot gases after external tank debris hit it. Also, the OEX (Orbiter Experiments
Recorder) is providing a wealth of info before the actual breakup where new
temperature spikes were recorded to a little after telemetry failed.
Unfortunately, you have to be a subscriber to get access to web articles but it
should be in your library or if you know anyone involved in areospace work,
they
would probably have it. The series of articles goes intro great detail and is
updated every week.

    - Tom

At 02:00 02-04-03, you wrote:
>         http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993584
>
>Tests have revealed that an object spotted falling from the space shuttle
>Columbia on the second day of its doomed mission was (((apparently))) a
>panel of protective heat-resistant tiles.
>
>The absence of this panel would have provided a point of entry in the
>shuttle's left wing for the superhot gases that investigators believe got
>inside the craft during re-entry. The plasma melted the shuttle's aluminium
>frame and caused the craft to disintegrate, with the loss of all seven
>astronauts aboard.
>
>Radar pictures revealed the object falling from the shuttle as it performed
>a pivotal manoeuvre in orbit for a scientific experiment. Investigators have
>now taken radar images of various shuttle components to try to find a match.
>
>
>
>(((     ))) my addition
>
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