Wednesday's Internet Edition, January 07, 2009.
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| Copperas Cove schools posted flags at half-staff in honor of the Columbia shuttle crew,who perished when the Columbia disintegrated when returning from a 16-day science mission on Saturday – Photo by LARRY HAUK |
News editor - As the effort to recover the debris from space shuttle Columbia and the remains of her crew continues in east Texas, local entities are assisting in various ways.
Local law enforcement agencies are on the alert for shuttle debris. The Coryell County Sheriff’s Department had one call for possible debris, but the item in question turned out to be a head lamp from a vehicle, said Lieutenant Carl Magee of the CCSD.
Patrol officers are looking for possible shuttle debris as they make their rounds and respond to calls, he said. “But from the pattern I’ve seen on TV, I don’t think we’ll get any,” Magee added. Lampasas County Sheriff’s Department has received no reports of shuttle debris, said a department spokesperson. Neither has the Copperas Cove Police Department, said Lieutenant Danny Austin of the CCPD.
A search-and-rescue task force from Fort Hood under the command and control of the 1st Cavalry Division has joined the search for debris for the space shuttle Columbia, said Cecil Green of Ft. Hood’s Public Affairs Office.
The task force is comprised of helicopters from the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, part of the 1st Cavalry Division, and from the 21st Cavalry Brigade, said Green. Soldiers from the 89th Military Police Brigade at Fort Hood will also participate in the search effort.
The Fort Hood involvement will be conducted on a 24-basis for an unspecified period of time, said Green. Aircraft used in the search-and-rescue missions will include UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters primarily during daylight hours, and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters during nighttime hours. If debris is located, the Military Police will be used to secure sites until recovery operations are complete.
Texas Governor Rick Perry directed school administrators in a 93-county area, including Coryell, to inspect grounds to see if any debris landed on school property, including roofs. “Although we have reports from only one school that has shuttle debris, we want to make certain that our school children are safe,” Perry said.
Copperas Cove schools were inspected over the weekend, reports a school official. Custodial staff checked for debris on grounds, in buildings and on playgrounds. Maintenance inspected school roofs, while the athletic staff checked the playing fields. Additional staff members inspected individual classrooms. No debris was found.
The Texas Department of Health is repeating earlier NASA warnings that those who find suspected shuttle parts should not touch them, but should instead call local law
enforcement authorities.
Though the excessive heat in the shuttle’s reentry into the earth’s atmosphere likely would destroy any chemicals from the craft, authorities have not ruled out the possibility of serious human harm from direct contact with the debris.
Noting that shuttle debris is United States government property, NASA also has warned that anyone found in unauthorized possession of shuttle debris will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Columbia, returning from a 16-day science mission, disintegrated early Saturday as it headed toward touchdown at Cape Canaveral, Fla., spreading debris over hundreds of square miles across Texas and Louisiana