More data on Columbia cause

31 Mar 2003, 12:00 am
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The Columbia Reconstruction Team at work (pic:AAP)

The Columbia Reconstruction Team at work (pic:AAP)

Flight data from the space shuttle Columbia has given further support to the theory the flight was doomed by damage caused during take-off.

Flight data from the space shuttle Columbia has given further support to the theory the flight was doomed by damage caused during take-off.

The salvaged data recorder has revealed unusual temperature spikes in the left wing just seconds after re-entry. Ice or other debris that broke off the fuel tank during Columbia's liftoff is suspected of breaching the leading edge of the wing.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board has confirmed that the temperature surge occurred more than a minute earlier than previously reported.

Spokeswoman Laura Brown says a wealth of information is being analysed from the 420 sensors across Columbia.

"What we've got looks very good," she said.

The data recorder contains information from the January 16 launch right up until a few seconds before the shuttle disintegrated on February 1, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

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