NASA Moves Space Shuttle Columbia Recovery Office

Al Feinberg
Headquarters, Washington October 14, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-4504)

Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

RELEASE: 03-332

NASA MOVES SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA RECOVERY OFFICE

NASA has moved the Columbia Recovery Office (CRO) to
Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla. By moving the CRO from
Johnson Space Center, Houston, to KSC, NASA has the storage
and coordination of Shuttle debris at one location.

Although the volume of calls to report new debris has
decreased, with hunting season about to begin in East Texas,
where the majority of debris was found, there could be an
associated increase in calls. The CRO opened April 28, 2003,
and will remain operational as long as call volume warrants.

"We are still interested in retrieving any debris reported
by the public," said Dave Whittle, chairman of the NASA
Mishap Investigation Team and head of the CRO. "From the
standpoint of those calling in, the change should be
invisible. Since KSC is the storage location for the debris,
and since it is still the center receiving calls about
Challenger, we feel they are the right people to handle
long-term support of Columbia calls," he said.

The toll-free Columbia Shuttle Material hotline is answered
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anyone who finds material
believed to be part of Columbia is urged to call the hotline
at:

1/866/446-6603

The CRO operates the Shuttle Interagency Debris Database for
data management, record retention, and mapping. The CRO will
arrange for larger or potentially hazardous Shuttle debris
recovery. The CRO may ask finders to ship smaller, non-
hazardous objects to the office. For more information about
NASA, the Columbia accident investigation and human
spaceflight on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

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