Amid debris, some science may have survived Columbia breakup
Friday February 07, 2003By ANDREW BRIDGES
AP Science Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) Discovery of a breadbox-size container carried aloft by Columbia and its seven astronauts suggests results from some of the 80-plus scientific experiments believed lost in the breakup of the space shuttle may be salvaged.
At least one of the two miniature laboratories contributed to Columbia's payload by Instrumentation Technology Associates Inc. has been found, John Cassanto, president and chief executive officer of the Exton, Pa.-based company, said Friday.
The boxes, each 2.25 by 8 by 14 inches in size, carried a dozen experiments, including several contributed by students. Cassanto recognized the piece of hardware from television and newspaper images after it was recovered in Texas.
``If one made it, they clearly both made it. There's another one floating around someplace. We'd like to get our hands on it because we think some of the science may have survived,'' Cassanto said.
Crystal-growth experiments included in the boxes, called Dual Materials Dispersion Apparatus, likely did not survive the crush of re-entry. But others, including one that examined bacterial growth, may well have.
``The possibility that it survived gives a chance for actual data analysis. This is something that would be really wonderful,'' said Linda Kelly, education manager for the experiment's sponsor, Pasadena, Calif.-based space exploration advocacy group The Planetary Society.
A spokeswoman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said she had not been alerted to any specific finds from among the more than 12,000 pieces of debris recovered from Texas and Louisiana.
``I am sure if they do find any of the science we will release that as soon as we know,'' NASA spokeswoman Catherine Watson said.
Columbia's 16-day mission featured more than 80 experiments ranging from the effect of space travel on astronauts to possibility of creating new perfumes from roses and Asian rice flowers.
Although some data were relayed to Earth during the mission, NASA initially assumed the bulk of the science done while in space was lost in the space shuttle's fiery breakup.
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