National

NASA Discounts Tile Damage in Columbia Disaster

By Joe Palca, Richard Harris

Published February 5, 2003 at 9:00 PM PST

This story was published more than 21 years ago.

NASA's investigation into the Columbia disaster is wide open, the agency saying there's insufficient evidence that damaged heat tiles caused the crash. Meanwhile, another memorial service is held for the crew, and future manned science missions come under scrutiny as critics argue that most of the work doesn't need humans at all. Hear from NPR's Richard Harris and NPR's Joe Palca.

National

Joe Palca

Joe Palca is a science correspondent for NPR. Since joining NPR in 1992, Palca has covered a range of science topics — everything from biomedical research to astronomy. From 2011 to 2020 he produced stories that explored the minds and motivations of scientists and inventors as part of his series, Joe's Big Idea. Palca is also the founder of NPR Scicommers – A science communication collective.

Richard Harris

Award-winning journalist Richard Harris has reported on a wide range of topics in science, medicine and the environment since he joined NPR in 1986. In early 2014, his focus shifted from an emphasis on climate change and the environment to biomedical research.