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CNN Live At Daybreak
NASA Investigators Hope to get Clues from Amateur Video
Aired February 07, 2003 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On the subject of the shuttle investigation, an independent board named by NASA has now taken the lead in the Columbia probe. NASA also says it has not ruled out any possible cause in Columbia's breakup.
As CNN's Miles O'Brien reports, NASA hopes to get clues from amateur photographs and videotapes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NASA investigators are relying on an army of amateurs to help them find the cause of Columbia's disintegration, and they admit they need a lucky break.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa! Holy crap, that was weird.
O'BRIEN: This video was shot in Reno, but as interesting as that may seem, NASA says the jury is out until experts can verify the authenticity of it and dozens of other amateur images.
On the ground, the search for debris moves slowly as foul weather descended over Texas.
RON DITTEMORE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGER: So far, more than 1,000 items have been gathered at various locations, and we are in the process of moving these different items into the central location at Barksdale Air Force Base.
O'BRIEN: But shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore says reports of possible shuttle debris in California have not been verified. The farthest west anything has been found: Fort Worth, Texas.
So, when did Columbia begin breaking apart? NASA computer wizards are analyzing an additional 32 seconds of garbled data, captured after mission control lost contact with the crew, hoping it may yield a clue. DITTEMORE: Don't assume that there's 32 seconds of valid data. It may not be the case. When we get through our analysis of trying to extract information, it may be that you have one or two seconds of good data.
O'BRIEN: Columbia's launch still remains a focus of this investigation. Engineers are still skeptical falling foam was the root cause of Columbia's demise, but they are not discarding the theory either.
DITTEMORE: We are planning testing of foam impact on tiles. We are performing analysis.
O'BRIEN: So, was there something else that struck the shuttle during its rise to orbit? Unfortunately, the team may never know. The focus failed on the camera with potentially the best view.
But what about in orbit? Shuttles are constantly dinged by smaller pieces of space junk. NORAD tracks more than 8,000 larger objects, and often advises NASA to change a shuttle's orbit to avoid a collision. Experts say it would take a piece of junk the size of a fist to put the crew in peril.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, at the Johnson Space Center, Houston,
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 7, 2003 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On the subject of the shuttle investigation, an independent board named by NASA has now taken the lead in the Columbia probe. NASA also says it has not ruled out any possible cause in Columbia's breakup.
As CNN's Miles O'Brien reports, NASA hopes to get clues from amateur photographs and videotapes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NASA investigators are relying on an army of amateurs to help them find the cause of Columbia's disintegration, and they admit they need a lucky break.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa! Holy crap, that was weird.
O'BRIEN: This video was shot in Reno, but as interesting as that may seem, NASA says the jury is out until experts can verify the authenticity of it and dozens of other amateur images.
On the ground, the search for debris moves slowly as foul weather descended over Texas.
RON DITTEMORE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGER: So far, more than 1,000 items have been gathered at various locations, and we are in the process of moving these different items into the central location at Barksdale Air Force Base.
O'BRIEN: But shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore says reports of possible shuttle debris in California have not been verified. The farthest west anything has been found: Fort Worth, Texas.
So, when did Columbia begin breaking apart? NASA computer wizards are analyzing an additional 32 seconds of garbled data, captured after mission control lost contact with the crew, hoping it may yield a clue. DITTEMORE: Don't assume that there's 32 seconds of valid data. It may not be the case. When we get through our analysis of trying to extract information, it may be that you have one or two seconds of good data.
O'BRIEN: Columbia's launch still remains a focus of this investigation. Engineers are still skeptical falling foam was the root cause of Columbia's demise, but they are not discarding the theory either.
DITTEMORE: We are planning testing of foam impact on tiles. We are performing analysis.
O'BRIEN: So, was there something else that struck the shuttle during its rise to orbit? Unfortunately, the team may never know. The focus failed on the camera with potentially the best view.
But what about in orbit? Shuttles are constantly dinged by smaller pieces of space junk. NORAD tracks more than 8,000 larger objects, and often advises NASA to change a shuttle's orbit to avoid a collision. Experts say it would take a piece of junk the size of a fist to put the crew in peril.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, at the Johnson Space Center, Houston,
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
