Columbia Reconstruction Project

Images from Kennedy Space Center focusing on the investigation and reconstruction of Space Shuttle Columbia debris, showcasing team members examining various parts.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members survey pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia in the RLV Hangar. The debris arrived at KSC today from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members survey pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia in the RLV Hangar. The debris arrived at KSC today from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project team look at new pieces of debris placed on the floor of the RLV Hangar. The team is identifying pieces and placing them on a grid approximating the shape of the orbiter. About 25 percent of the orbiter has been delivered to the hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team (right) examines debris on the floor of the RLV Hangar at KSC. The team is attempting to reconstruct the bottom of the orbiter as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia and loss of its crew as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107. To date, more than 35,000 pieces have been shipped to KSC for examination and identification.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the RLV Hangar, members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team look at a stack of Columbia debris shipped from Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, La. Barksdale continues to be the receiving and shipping point for Columbia materials being sent to KSC for final identification. The team is attempting to reconstruct the orbiter as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia and loss of its crew as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members survey pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia in the RLV Hangar. The debris arrived at KSC today from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the Columbia debris hangar shows the orbiter outline on the floor with some of the 78,760 pieces identified to date, as well as tables on the left that hold tiles. More than 82,500 pieces of shuttle debris have been rcovered.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Pieces of Columbia debris are beginning to fill one area of the Shuttle painted on the floor of the RLV Hangar. Approximately 4,500 ground searchers have covered approximately 56 percent of the planned 555,000-acre search area. About 28 percent of the Shuttle Columbia, by weight, has been delivered to the RLV Hangar to date.
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Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members move a piece of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia into a specified sector of the RLV Hangar. The debris is being shipped to KSC from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the RLV Hangar, members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team look at Columbia debris shipped from Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, La. Barksdale continues to be the receiving and shipping point for Columbia materials being sent to KSC for final identification. Inside the RLV Hangar, the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia and loss of its crew as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach points to some of the tiles recovered from the orbiter as he explains to the media about activities that have taken place since the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003. STS-107 debris recovery and reconstruction operations are winding down. To date, nearly 84,000 pieces of debris have been recovered and sent to KSC. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.
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A high wide angel view of aircraft parts, recovered from TWA Flight 800 inside the Grumman Reconstruction Facility at Calverton, New York. A high wide angel view of aircraft parts, recovered from TWA Flight 800 inside the Grumman Reconstruction Facility at Calverton, New York.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - KSC employees check out equipment moved from the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF), damaged by Hurricane Frances, to a hangar and storage facility near the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. Previously, this hangar was used to house the Space Shuttle Columbia debris. Located in Launch Complex 39, the TPSF is used to manufacture both internal and external insulation products for the Space Shuttle orbiters. The storm's path over Florida took it through Cape Canaveral and KSC property during Labor Day weekend.
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In the Vehicle Assembly Building, Richard Risley, with United Space Alliance, moves a table holding pieces of tile from Columbias wing. All of the pieces received and collected in the Columbia Reconstruction Hangar have been catalogued and moved to a permanent site in the VAB.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the floor of the RLV Hangar shows some of the Columbia debris collected and identified. Approximately 4,500 ground searchers have covered approximately 56 percent of the planned 555,000-acre search area. About 28 percent of the Shuttle Columbia, by weight, has been delivered to the RLV Hangar to date.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Debris pieces of all sizes lie on the floor of the KSC RLV Hangar. Shipped from Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La., more than 70,000 items, weighing 78,000 pounds, about 36 percent of the Shuttle by weight, have been delivered to KSC for use in the mishap investigation. Ground teams have completed 78 percent of their primary search area, and airborne crews finished 80 percent of their assigned area. Search teams have completed 98 percent of the underwater searches in Lake Nacogdoches and Toledo Bend Reservoir.
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In the RLV Hangar, a Columbia Reconstruction Project Team member examines pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia. The debris has begun arriving at KSC from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team work with pieces of debris in the RLV Hangar. The items shipped to KSC number more than 82,000 and weigh 84,800 pounds or 38 percent of the total dry weight of Columbia. Of those items, 78,760 have been identified, with 753 placed on the left wing grid in the Hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the RLV Hangar, members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project team place recovered Thermal Protection System (TPS) tile on a tabletop mock-up of the wing of Columbia. Shipped from Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La., more than 70,000 items, weighing 78,000 pounds, about 36 percent of the Shuttle by weight, have been delivered to KSC for use in the mishap investigation. Ground teams have completed 78 percent of their primary search area, and airborne crews finished 80 percent of their assigned area. Search teams have completed 98 percent of the underwater searches in Lake Nacogdoches and Toledo Bend Reservoir.
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The Orion team prepares the parachute test vehicle for the final drop test which will qualify Orion's parachutes for human flight on Sept. 10, 2018...On September 12, 2018 an Orion test capsule will be dropped from a C-17 aircraft at an altitude of more than six miles to verify the spacecrafts complex system of 11 parachutes, cannon-like mortars, and pyrotechnic devices work in sequence to slow the capsules descent for a safe landing on Earth.
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Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore (leaning over) examines a piece of Columbia debris in the RLV Hangar. The debris was shipped from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the RLV.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team handles a piece of Columbia debris already identified. The team is attempting to reconstruct the bottom of the orbiter on the floor of the RLV Hangar at KSC as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia and loss of its crew as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107. To date, more than 35,000 pieces have been shipped to KSC for examination and identification.
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Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members steady a piece of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia as they position it in a designated sector of the RLV Hangar. The debris is being shipped to KSC from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
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Columbia Reconstruction Project Team members cautiously examine potentially hazardous debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia in the RLV Hangar. The debris is being shipped to KSC from the collection point at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident that claimed Columbia and her crew of seven, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the hangar.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the reconstruction team check out the Columbia debris inside the RLV Hangar. The debris was shipped from Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La. As part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic accident, workers will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter inside the RLV.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Scott Thurston, NASA vehicle flow manager, addresses the media about efforts to pack the debris stored in the Columbia Debris Hangar. More than 83,000 pieces of debris were shipped to KSC during search and recovery efforts in East Texas. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds. An area of the Vehicle Assembly Building is being prepared to store the debris permanently.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-123 crew members look over some of the equipment for the mission. From left are Pilot Gregory Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Foreman and Garrett Reisman. They and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a crew equipment interface test, a process of familiarization with payloads, hardware and the space shuttle. The STS-123 mission is targeted for launch on space shuttle Endeavour on Feb. 14. It will be the 25th assembly flight of the station.
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JGTC pit lane mechanics crew
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team look over pieces of debris in the KSC RLV Hangar. Shipped from Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, La., more than 70,000 items, weighing 78,000 pounds, about 36 percent of the Shuttle by weight, have been delivered to KSC for use in the mishap investigation. Ground teams have completed 78 percent of their primary search area, and airborne crews finished 80 percent of their assigned area. Search teams have completed 98 percent of the underwater searches in Lake Nacogdoches and Toledo Bend Reservoir.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Jim Comer, United Space Alliance project leader for Columbia reconstruction, speaks to members of the Columbia Reconstruction Team during transfer of debris from the Columbia Debris Hangar to its permanent storage site in the Vehicle Assembly Building. More than 83,000 pieces of debris were shipped to KSC during search and recovery efforts in East Texas. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds.
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ERECTION OF TWO SLS INTERTANK, (IT), SPECIAL TEST EQUIPMENT, (STE), TOWER PANELS IN BLDG 4619
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Columbia Reconstruction Project team meets before arrival of the final shipment of Columbia debris. The recovery efforts have been concluded in East Texas. Prior to this final shipment, the total number of items at KSC is 82,567, weighing 84,800 pounds or 38 percent of the total dry weight of Columbia. Of those items, 78,760 have been identified, with 753 placed on the left wing grid in the RLV Hangar.
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Coast Guard Structures - Air Stations - New Orleans - 26-HK-95-153. AIRSTA NOLA--CG personnel, gear and helos inside hangar. Hurricane Katrina
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the RLV Hangar, the floor grid is marked with a growing number of pieces of Columbia debris. The Columbia Reconstruction Project Team will attempt to reconstruct the orbiter as part of the investigation into the accident that caused the destruction of Columbia and loss of its crew as it returned to Earth on mission STS-107.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV hangar at KSC, United Space Alliance workers Beth Smith (left) and Theresa Haygood unwrap equipment removed from the hurricane-ravaged Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF). The facility, which creates the TPS tiles, blankets and all the internal thermal control systems for the Space Shuttles, is almost totally unserviceable at this time after losing approximately 35 percent of its roof due to Hurricane Frances, which blew across Central Florida Sept. 4-5. The maximum wind at the surface from Hurricane Frances was 94 mph from the northeast at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 5. It was recorded at a weather tower located on the east shore of the Mosquito Lagoon near the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. The highest sustained wind at KSC was 68 mph.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Scott Thurston, NASA vehicle flow manager, addresses the media about efforts to pack the debris stored in the Columbia Debris Hangar. More than 83,000 pieces of debris were shipped to KSC during search and recovery efforts in East Texas. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds. An area of the Vehicle Assembly Building is being prepared to store the debris permanently.
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Flooding - Fargo, N. D. , March 17, 2010 Worker at sandbag central help fill bags towards the city's goal of one million bags. Photo: Michael Rieger/FEMA. North Dakota Flooding. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Columbia Debris Hangar, Scott Thurston, NASA vehicle flow manager, addresses the media about efforts to pack the debris stored in the Columbia Debris Hangar. More than 83,000 pieces of debris were shipped to KSC during search and recovery efforts in East Texas. That represents about 38 percent of the dry weight of Columbia, equaling almost 85,000 pounds. An area of the Vehicle Assembly Building is being prepared to store the debris permanently.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On a KSC visit, Executive Director of NASDA Koji Yamamoto (kneeling, left) reaches out to a piece of Columbia debris in the Columbia Debris Hangar. At right is Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, who is explaining recovery and reconstruction efforts. Mr. Yamamoto is at KSC for a welcome ceremony involving the arrival of the newest Space Station module, the Japanese Experiment Module/pressurized module.
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Tripoli, Libya; At the fish market in the outskirts of Tripoli
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Distinguished guests tour the jobsite of the Blackfeet Nation Senior Center being built in Heart Butte, Montana, September 8, 2022. This collaboration with the Blackfeet Nation community enables the U.S. military to train in a real-world environment and acquire and maintain their trade skills.
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The crew of the television series This Old House film the Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The cast and crew of This Old House, including host Steve Thomas and master carpenter Norm Abram, are filming at KSC for an episode of the show
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Bob Ballard Exploration
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the RLV Hangar, Shuttle Test Director Steve Altemus (left), a member of the Columbia Reconstruction Project Team, discusses a piece of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (right). To date, more than 70,000 items have been delivered to KSC for use in the ongoing mishap investigation.
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Fish market in Agadir, Morocco.
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The stage is prepared at Monaco RV manufacturing in Wakarusa, Ind. for President Barack Obama's remarks on the economy later in the morning August 5, 2009.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Paul Gutierrez, United Space Alliance associate program manager for the Solid Rocket Booster Element, congratulates employees in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility for preparing the first (left) solid rocket booster aft skirt for mission STS-114 on schedule. The segment, seen behind Gutierrez, will be transferred to the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) for stacking. At the RPSF an aft motor segment and an external tank attach ring will be installed. The stack will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for further build-up. This is the first transfer of a large piece of hardware from SRB to Ground Operations. It is a significant milestone in the march to Return to Flight.
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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (March 16, 2013) Mathew Shilling, an employee of Newport News Shipbuilding, welds the initials of Jeanne and John Warner on a steel plate during the keel laying ceremony for Pre-Commissioning Unit John Warner (SSN 785). John Warner is the 12th Virginia-class attack submarine and the sixth to be delivered to the U.S. Navy by Newport News Shipbuilding.
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Philadelphia, Pa., January 11, 2014 Photo of the game field used to challenge robots teams have built. Objects in the photo include various obstacles that are designed for teams and their robots to overcome.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials
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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken tours the Hellisheidi Geothermal Plant in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 18, 2021.