US Shuttle Columbia May Begin Breakup Earlier Than Believed

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 11, 2003

US Shuttle Columbia May Begin Breakup Earlier Than Believed

In the last two seconds before Columbia lost data connections with mission controllers on the ground, the space shuttle might have already started to break up, US media reported Monday.

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In the last two seconds before Columbia lost data connections with mission controllers on the ground, the space shuttle might have already started to break up, US media reported Monday.

Investigators previously said that Columbia's last two-second burst of data, sent at about 9 a.m. Eastern time on Feb. 1, minutes before the shuttle disintegrated and killed all seven astronauts, showed it still on course and in the proper orientation.

However, new analysis, scheduled to release this week, indicates that the shuttle's desperate trouble may begin far earlier, The New York Times newspaper quoted two officials close to the investigation as saying.

In the last two seconds of data transmission, Columbia was already spinning out of control with its left wing and left maneuvering jets damaged or destroyed, the officials said.

Analysis of the data received in the final two seconds also indicated an attempt, probably by a crew member, to disengage and override the shuttle's auto-pilot, according to a CNN report.

Under the conditions of a normal re-entry, the shuttle flies oncomputerized auto-pilot until it is traveling more slowly than thespeed of sound. Attempts to cut auto-pilot suggests that the crew might be aware of some trouble and have tried to gain control of the shuttle.

However, NASA engineers cautioned that the data may be faulty and it is possible the astronauts turned off the auto-pilot by accident.

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