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CNN Live Today
Day of Remembrance, Ongoing Search for Answers
Aired February 04, 2003 - 11:02 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour on CNN, a day of remembrance and the ongoing search for answers. As the nation pauses to remember the seven shuttle Columbia astronauts, investigators are focusing on finding the cause of that disaster.
CNN's Charles Feldman checks in now. He is standing by live at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He's got the latest on the investigation taking place there.
Hello, Charles.
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.
A couple of hours away now from the beginning of that memorial. President Bush and his wife will be here for that. Some 10,000 to 14,000 employees of NASA. It is, after all, a memorial for them, as well for the families of the seven astronauts who perished in the Columbia tragedy this past Saturday.
But while NASA pauses to reflect and to remember, the investigation still goes on to try to find out why the Columbia disintegrated when it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, and they made it very clear, NASA officials did yesterday, that what they're now looking for is a very important missing link.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DITTEMORE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MGR.: If we can get our hands on that piece of debris that really helps us indicate where the genesis of the problem is, that would be very important. If we find a piece of tile, each tile is individually coded, and if we find that tile and can decipher the code, we'll know exactly where it came from on the wing. And that's the missing link that we're trying to find. Once we piece that together, then we can map it and then make it fit the scenario.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FELDMAN: Now, while the investigation continues, so too does the search for debris from the space shuttle Columbia. A big find just this morning, actually late in the hours yesterday, the nose cone of the space shuttle Columbia dug itself some 20 feet deep into the Earth. We'll have more about that a little later -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, good deal. Thank you, Charles. We'll see you in just a bit. Now, let's get more on the search for debris from Columbia and the discovery of the shuttle's nose cone in that Texas field that you just heard Charles mention here.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa reports from Hemphill, Texas. Now that's near where that piece of shuttle was found.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Hemphill, Texas, there really is a sense, a qualitative sense of ratcheting up in terms of the recovery of the debris. What started out on Saturday with about a hundred officials going in to doing ground searches is now up to 600 searchers, as well as 25 to 30 who are going into the Toledo Bend Reservoir, going in on the water and underwater 100 feet deep, searching for debris.
Now, the ratcheting up probably has much to do with the fact that yesterday, there was extraordinary amounts of debris recovered including the nose cone, apparently some parts of some kind of operations panels, some windows from the shuttle, as well. What will happen with this material, we're being told that the EPA will be in charge of all of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF TOMMY MADDOX, SABINE CO. TEXAS: We're going out and relooking at a lot of this debris, the EPA is, and what they're doing, they're categorizing as to what needs to be moved immediately, you know, what will be moved at a later date.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: The increase of the presence of recovery workers here in this area also has to do with the fact that there has been in the words of officials -- quote/unquote -- tremendous amounts of human remains uncovered in this area. They have now brought in dogs to help with that.
We have been told that yesterday there were many human remains that were recovered. Overnight and early this morning as well. They have said that the -- this will continue in the Hemphill area as long as they continue to encounter these large pieces of debris. They have got volunteers on the ground. They have got officials working on the ground. They have neighbors also searching, as well as on the water here in Hemphill, Texas.
Maria Hinojosa, CNN, Hemphill, Texas.
HARRIS: Thanks to Maria for that.
To the west of where she is at right now, in Nacogdoches, Texas, authorities have found more remains of the astronauts there, as well as more debris from the shuttle.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is tracking the recovery effort there. He joins us now live. He's got the latest.
Hello, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.
Well, as you mentioned, there have been 15 sites here in Nacogdoches County where human remains have been found. Local authorities here say that those sites will be handled by the FBI, obviously a much more delicate situation than the debris, and the shuttle debris that they must be handling as well. So the FBI is handling that as the local authorities continue to handle the shuttle debris.
And they've got good news yesterday as Environmental Protection Agency teams were able to begin the process of collecting the debris, and they say that this is going to be an area that will be a staging ground, if you will.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF THOMAS KERRS, NACOGDOCHES CO. TEXAS: The U.S. Army is bringing in Blackhawk helicopters and the U.S. Air Force is bringing in UH-60 aircraft, in addition to the Coast Guard aircraft, and other federal aircraft that is already on the ground right now. So we're about to -- in addition to the other resources that we have staged here at the -- and at the county's exposition center, the city's airport is also about to become a major staging area for all flight operations throughout the entire east Texas area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Well, now what counties around Nacogdoches and the rest of Western Texas -- Eastern Texas, excuse me, and western Louisiana, what they must do is create a priority list of the debris that needs to be collected first, so these teams can go out there and begin doing that.
And now one of the things that has become a top priority here in Nacogdoches County is the continued search for more human remains, as well as parts of the crew cabin. There is a portion of debris found yesterday that NASA officials tell authorities here that contains some electronic equipment that could be valuable in the investigation as to what happened to the space shuttle Columbia, so that is one of the areas where they're doing a proactive search, sending out teams on horseback, searching through the woods for some of that electronic equipment.
Other than that, they're responding mostly to what people are calling in, and there continues to be dozens of calls per hour reporting new sightings of debris.
Leon, this is a process that's going to take many weeks, and even authorities here say people here will be finding shuttle debris for many years to come -- Leon.
HARRIS: Ed, one thing I read yesterday was that there were also reports of people who, for lack of a better term, have been souvenir hunting. Have you heard reports about that, and whether that's causing a problem for authorities?
LAVANDERA: Well, there have been some reports of that. The sheriff here in Nacogdoches County he referred to it as "looting," but it's still the same thing. The souvenir hunting has been going on.
Now there haven't been official arrests because of this, and I think mostly has to do with the fact that manpower here on the ground has been spread so thin. It hasn't been a top priority. The top priority has been getting this debris collected and finding human remains, but authorities here say here they will turn over any and all cases to federal prosecutors and let them handle that, and it will be something that will be taken very seriously. Everyone here is saying that.
HARRIS: You talk were the manpower situation there, Ed. We're just now getting the latest video coming in from the searching that's been going on there at Nacogdoches, and we're seeing here video that we're just now seeing for the first time. It looks like this is the arrival of some other authorities, perhaps coming in from Washington.
This is, I'm being told, the investigative team that is arriving there on the scene, so as you can see, the manpower situation is about to get at least a little better there, at least as far as the planners and their needs go.
LAVANDERA: Yes, I think what they've been mostly concerned about is that they've had so many reports of debris that have come in here, and since Saturday morning, all the authorities have already been out at certain sites. There just aren't enough authorities and people that could stand guard over some of the larger pieces of debris that needed to be protected. Now what happens as these debris gets taken away from these locations, that goes and frees up more people so that they can respond to the other calls.
I said a couple of times over the last couple of days, there have been many people who have come up to me and said, hey, there was some shuttle debris that landed in my backyard or on top of our business and we've called into authorities and no one's come out yet. Well, that's just because they've been swamped were calls, almost 75 per hour.
HARRIS: Yes, boy, you've got a lot of stuff to dig through there. Thanks, Ed.
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 4, 2003 - 11:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour on CNN, a day of remembrance and the ongoing search for answers. As the nation pauses to remember the seven shuttle Columbia astronauts, investigators are focusing on finding the cause of that disaster.
CNN's Charles Feldman checks in now. He is standing by live at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He's got the latest on the investigation taking place there.
Hello, Charles.
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.
A couple of hours away now from the beginning of that memorial. President Bush and his wife will be here for that. Some 10,000 to 14,000 employees of NASA. It is, after all, a memorial for them, as well for the families of the seven astronauts who perished in the Columbia tragedy this past Saturday.
But while NASA pauses to reflect and to remember, the investigation still goes on to try to find out why the Columbia disintegrated when it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, and they made it very clear, NASA officials did yesterday, that what they're now looking for is a very important missing link.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DITTEMORE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MGR.: If we can get our hands on that piece of debris that really helps us indicate where the genesis of the problem is, that would be very important. If we find a piece of tile, each tile is individually coded, and if we find that tile and can decipher the code, we'll know exactly where it came from on the wing. And that's the missing link that we're trying to find. Once we piece that together, then we can map it and then make it fit the scenario.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FELDMAN: Now, while the investigation continues, so too does the search for debris from the space shuttle Columbia. A big find just this morning, actually late in the hours yesterday, the nose cone of the space shuttle Columbia dug itself some 20 feet deep into the Earth. We'll have more about that a little later -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, good deal. Thank you, Charles. We'll see you in just a bit. Now, let's get more on the search for debris from Columbia and the discovery of the shuttle's nose cone in that Texas field that you just heard Charles mention here.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa reports from Hemphill, Texas. Now that's near where that piece of shuttle was found.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Hemphill, Texas, there really is a sense, a qualitative sense of ratcheting up in terms of the recovery of the debris. What started out on Saturday with about a hundred officials going in to doing ground searches is now up to 600 searchers, as well as 25 to 30 who are going into the Toledo Bend Reservoir, going in on the water and underwater 100 feet deep, searching for debris.
Now, the ratcheting up probably has much to do with the fact that yesterday, there was extraordinary amounts of debris recovered including the nose cone, apparently some parts of some kind of operations panels, some windows from the shuttle, as well. What will happen with this material, we're being told that the EPA will be in charge of all of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF TOMMY MADDOX, SABINE CO. TEXAS: We're going out and relooking at a lot of this debris, the EPA is, and what they're doing, they're categorizing as to what needs to be moved immediately, you know, what will be moved at a later date.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: The increase of the presence of recovery workers here in this area also has to do with the fact that there has been in the words of officials -- quote/unquote -- tremendous amounts of human remains uncovered in this area. They have now brought in dogs to help with that.
We have been told that yesterday there were many human remains that were recovered. Overnight and early this morning as well. They have said that the -- this will continue in the Hemphill area as long as they continue to encounter these large pieces of debris. They have got volunteers on the ground. They have got officials working on the ground. They have neighbors also searching, as well as on the water here in Hemphill, Texas.
Maria Hinojosa, CNN, Hemphill, Texas.
HARRIS: Thanks to Maria for that.
To the west of where she is at right now, in Nacogdoches, Texas, authorities have found more remains of the astronauts there, as well as more debris from the shuttle.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is tracking the recovery effort there. He joins us now live. He's got the latest.
Hello, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.
Well, as you mentioned, there have been 15 sites here in Nacogdoches County where human remains have been found. Local authorities here say that those sites will be handled by the FBI, obviously a much more delicate situation than the debris, and the shuttle debris that they must be handling as well. So the FBI is handling that as the local authorities continue to handle the shuttle debris.
And they've got good news yesterday as Environmental Protection Agency teams were able to begin the process of collecting the debris, and they say that this is going to be an area that will be a staging ground, if you will.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF THOMAS KERRS, NACOGDOCHES CO. TEXAS: The U.S. Army is bringing in Blackhawk helicopters and the U.S. Air Force is bringing in UH-60 aircraft, in addition to the Coast Guard aircraft, and other federal aircraft that is already on the ground right now. So we're about to -- in addition to the other resources that we have staged here at the -- and at the county's exposition center, the city's airport is also about to become a major staging area for all flight operations throughout the entire east Texas area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Well, now what counties around Nacogdoches and the rest of Western Texas -- Eastern Texas, excuse me, and western Louisiana, what they must do is create a priority list of the debris that needs to be collected first, so these teams can go out there and begin doing that.
And now one of the things that has become a top priority here in Nacogdoches County is the continued search for more human remains, as well as parts of the crew cabin. There is a portion of debris found yesterday that NASA officials tell authorities here that contains some electronic equipment that could be valuable in the investigation as to what happened to the space shuttle Columbia, so that is one of the areas where they're doing a proactive search, sending out teams on horseback, searching through the woods for some of that electronic equipment.
Other than that, they're responding mostly to what people are calling in, and there continues to be dozens of calls per hour reporting new sightings of debris.
Leon, this is a process that's going to take many weeks, and even authorities here say people here will be finding shuttle debris for many years to come -- Leon.
HARRIS: Ed, one thing I read yesterday was that there were also reports of people who, for lack of a better term, have been souvenir hunting. Have you heard reports about that, and whether that's causing a problem for authorities?
LAVANDERA: Well, there have been some reports of that. The sheriff here in Nacogdoches County he referred to it as "looting," but it's still the same thing. The souvenir hunting has been going on.
Now there haven't been official arrests because of this, and I think mostly has to do with the fact that manpower here on the ground has been spread so thin. It hasn't been a top priority. The top priority has been getting this debris collected and finding human remains, but authorities here say here they will turn over any and all cases to federal prosecutors and let them handle that, and it will be something that will be taken very seriously. Everyone here is saying that.
HARRIS: You talk were the manpower situation there, Ed. We're just now getting the latest video coming in from the searching that's been going on there at Nacogdoches, and we're seeing here video that we're just now seeing for the first time. It looks like this is the arrival of some other authorities, perhaps coming in from Washington.
This is, I'm being told, the investigative team that is arriving there on the scene, so as you can see, the manpower situation is about to get at least a little better there, at least as far as the planners and their needs go.
LAVANDERA: Yes, I think what they've been mostly concerned about is that they've had so many reports of debris that have come in here, and since Saturday morning, all the authorities have already been out at certain sites. There just aren't enough authorities and people that could stand guard over some of the larger pieces of debris that needed to be protected. Now what happens as these debris gets taken away from these locations, that goes and frees up more people so that they can respond to the other calls.
I said a couple of times over the last couple of days, there have been many people who have come up to me and said, hey, there was some shuttle debris that landed in my backyard or on top of our business and we've called into authorities and no one's come out yet. Well, that's just because they've been swamped were calls, almost 75 per hour.
HARRIS: Yes, boy, you've got a lot of stuff to dig through there. Thanks, Ed.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
