STS-107 MCC Status Report #25<br />Friday, February 7, 2003 7 p.m. CST<br />Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas<br /><br />The independent board charged with determining what caused the destruction<br />of Columbia met with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe at the Johnson Space<br />Center (JSC), Houston. Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore flew to<br />the External Tank manufacturer in Michoud, La. to discuss processing of the<br />tank with engineers. Recovery teams continued to search for debris.<br /><br />Dittemore told an afternoon briefing that a small portion of the reinforced<br />carbon-carbon insulation of the leading edge of one of the Shuttle's wings<br />was found in the Fort Worth, Texas area. It measures approximately 26-27<br />inches in length and 18 inches wide. It has not been determined whether it<br />is from the left or right wing. The magnitude of the search for shuttle<br />debris has expanded, with more than 1200 people involved in the recovery<br />effort, including 220 from NASA and 800 National Guardsmen.<br /><br />The investigation is entering a new phase, now that the Columbia Accident<br />Investigation Board (CAIB), chaired by retired Navy Admiral Harold Gehman,<br />Jr., has taken over the inquiry.<br /><br />"This will be a long, painstaking process," Dittemore said of the<br />investigation. "But I am proud of this (Shuttle Program) team. They have<br />risen to the occasion."<br /><br />Administrator O'Keefe echoed those statements when he met with employees at<br />the JSC, praising them for their dedication during a time of grief, while<br />vowing that the space program would emerge from the accident stronger than<br />ever.<br /><br />The CAIB will be based near JSC. The CAIB Charter is available on the<br />Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/board_documents.pdf<br /><br />In his afternoon briefing, Dittemore presented charts showing the sequential<br />shutdown of sensors during the final minutes of Columbia's flight as the<br />orbiter encountered a problem as yet undefined. He also revealed a fuzzy<br />photo taken by Air Force cameras as Columbia flew overhead. Dittemore<br />discounted earlier press reports, which interpreted the damage, as<br />premature. He said, " It is not clear to me that this photo reveals anything<br />significant at this point." -more- -2-<br /><br />While data analysis continued, the residents of the International Space<br />Station completed their unloading of a Russian Progress resupply ship today<br />and conducted a variety of biomedical experiments. Expedition 6 Commander<br />Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer<br />Don Pettit are in their 76th day in space, their 74th day on board the<br />complex.<br /><br />With shuttle missions on indefinite hold, NASA managers are discussing<br />whether adjustments are needed to the late April launch of a new Russian<br />Soyuz TMA spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It would be<br />manned by a "taxi" crew that delivers the craft used for assured crew return<br />to the Station and returns to Earth in the Soyuz currently at the station.<br />Potential options are being looked at in concert with the International<br />Partners to keep the Station manned, safe, and productive.<br /><br />While there are no plans to remove the Station crew during the Shuttle<br />recovery period, discussions are ongoing to ensure proper manning and<br />supplies until Shuttles fly again. Another Progress cargo vehicle is<br />scheduled for launch the Station in June to maintain a robust supply of<br />food, fuel, and maintenance components.<br /><br />The Progress at the Station may use its engines early next week to boost the<br />Station, two nautical miles at its apogee and 10 nautical miles at its<br />perigee, to place the station at the correct altitude for the late April<br />Soyuz launch. A decision will be made Monday when the boost will occur.<br /><br />On Tuesday, the Expedition 6 crew will field questions from reporters during<br />a news conference from the Station beginning at 9:34 a.m. EST. The news<br />conference will be broadcast on NASA Television with two-way question and<br />answer capability from reporters at NASA centers.<br /><br />The next STS-107 Accident Response briefings will be on Monday from NASA<br />Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The time has not yet been determined. It<br />will also be on NASA TV, with multi-center question and answer capability.<br /><br />The Johnson Space Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST on Saturday<br />and Sunday but there will no briefings.<br /><br />NASA TV is on AMC-2, Transponder 9C, vertical polarization at 85 degrees<br />west longitude, 3880 MHz, with audio at 6.8 MHz.