STS-87 Post Flight Inspection 1997

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/journals/space/katnik/sts87
-12-23.html

In an earlier briefing, Michael Kostelnik, NASA’s Associate
Administrator for International Space Station and Space
Shuttle, said the recovery operations are moving ahead “full
steam”, involving 2500 people nationwide from federal and
local agencies. Kostelnik said NASA has added a task force
to integrate the work between numerous engineering teams
that are reviewing over Columbia’s data and the Columbia
Accident Review board, chaired by retired Navy Admiral
Harold Gehman, Jr.

Kostelnik said that although a relatively small percentage
of Shuttle debris has been recovered so far, segments of
large components such as Columbia’s nose cone and main
engines have been found. The focus of the recovery effort
and the data analysis, according to Kostelnik, continues to
be Columbia’s left wing area, although no element of the
orbiter has been exonerated in the ongoing inquiry.

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 6
Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and
NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit spent the day unloading
the Russian Progress resupply ship that docked to the ISS
Tuesday, carrying one ton of food, fuel and supplies.

Pettit unstowed replacement parts for the Microgravity
Science Glovebox from the Progress and installed them in the
facility in the Destiny laboratory in an effort to revive
the Glovebox that has been dormant since November following
a power failure.

Pettit powered up the Glovebox, but a circuit breaker in the
system popped and payload controllers told Pettit to shut it
down so they can evaluate its current status.

On Thursday, NASA Television will broadcast a memorial
ceremony for Columbia’s astronauts from National Cathedral
in Washington, D.C. at 10:00 a.m. EST.

The next STS-107 Accident Response briefing will be held on
Thursday at 4:30 p.m. EST from the Johnson Space Center,
Houston, also on NASA TV, with multi-center question and
answer capability for reporters at NASA centers.

NASA TV is on AMC-2, Transponder 9C, vertical polarization
at 85 degrees west longitude, 3880 MHz, with audio at 6.8
MHz.