HOUSTON — A piece of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke apart and burned on re-entry more than eight years ago, has been found in a drought-stricken East Texas lake, NASA officials said Tuesday.
The spherical object, about 40 inches in diameter, was exposed by low levels at Lake Nacogdoches, about 140 miles northeast of Houston. NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone said the object was one of 16 tanks that flew aboard Columbia.
The aluminum tank was part of the shuttle’s electrical power distribution system. Now full of mud, the tank either held liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen when it operated on Columbia.
Officials said they are working on a plan to recover the tank and bring it back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where other debris from Columbia’s wreckage that’s been previously found is stored.
“We are working out the details with local authorities,” Malone said. “It’s not toxic or hazardous in any way. We’re not in a big rush to get it back over.”
The shuttle broke apart and burned on Feb. 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboard and scattering shuttle pieces across East Texas. The shuttle had been damaged at launch by foam insulation that fell off an external fuel tank.
Nacogdoches police Sgt. Greg Sowell said his department reported the then-mystery object to NASA on Friday after an officer who patrols the lake area saw it.
“It had been out of the water for some time,” Sowell said. “It had been seen by local sportsmen. ... People didn’t know what they were looking at.
The object, which is about 4 feet in diameter, was found in a local lake. NASA says it is a tank that provides power and water for shuttle missions.
"It's one of ours," said Lisa Malone, a spokeswoman for the agency.
Malone added that NASA is trying to develop a plan to recover the item,
But it could take weeks to get it, she said.
"We're looking into whether we'll send a team out or local authorities can," Malone said.
Authorities say the object was found after the drought caused the waters to recede in Lake Nacogdoches, and they notified representatives from NASA on Friday.
"The lower water level has exposed a larger than normal area on the northern side of the lake," said Sgt. Greg Sowell of the Nacogdoches Police Department.
The item is full of mud and is in a remote area near a private shoreline, Sowell said.
Nacogdoches made headlines in 2003 when debris from the shuttle Columbia disaster was found there.
The spacecraft broke up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere near the end of its mission on February 1, 2003.
"We want to remind everyone that the rules are the same as they were back in 2003. If this object is indeed a part of the shuttle, it is government property, and it is a criminal offense to tamper with it.
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