wmartin@ALMSA-1.ARPA (Will Martin -- AMXAL-RI) (02/06/86)
In several newscasts earlier this week or over the weekend, I heard repeated mention that divers and a submersible were trying to get a look at and retrieve a "large piece of debris which might be the crew compartment of the shuttle" (paraphrased). Since then, I have heard no followups, explanations, or retractions about this. Does anybody have the actual facts about this part of the search? Was there really a large piece of debris on the ocean floor in that location, and what was it? And has it been retrieved? Or was it just more of the content-less blathering to fill airtime that we have seen so much of? Will Martin ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin
space@ucbvax.UUCP (02/07/86)
The object that they thought was to be the crew compartment turned out to be an old helicopter. This info was released a couple of days after they first found the site via sonar. Once they sent cameras down, after the ocean calmed down, they verified that the object was not part of the Shuttle. Many false sightings can occur for this area includes the down range graveyard of Nasa's rocket program. Thus, many old and defective rockets and their parts are spread out there in the ocean. I believe Time, or one of the other magizes, has a good article that mentions this. paulw