Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The data recorder from the space shuttle Columbia preserved a “gold mine of information” that could help explain the craft’s fiery end, investigators said. Columbia’s left wing grew dangerously hot more than a minute earlier than was first thought, NASA officials said this week. Data from 9,400 feet of magnetic tape preserved in the recorder indicated that the wing’s temperature spiked seconds after the shuttle reached the peak heat of re-entry into the atmosphere, before it began its descent. Investigators believe searing gases entered the wing, probably along its leading edge, causing the craft to disintegrate. Foam insulation that dislodged at liftoff slammed into the wing at 500 mph, and might have pierced Columbia’s heat shield. Seven astronauts were killed when the shuttle broke apart on Feb. 1.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
