National

Satellite Systems Aid in Shuttle Debris Search

By Joe Palca, John Nielsen

Published February 10, 2003 at 9:00 PM PST

This story was published more than 21 years ago.

Searchers near the Texas-Louisiana border continue their search for debris in an effort to determine what caused the space shuttle Columbia to break apart upon re-entry Feb. 1. In Austin, Texas, officials rely on the latest technologies to aid in the investigation. Hear NPR's Joe Palca and NPR's John Nielsen.

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.

John Nielsen

John Nielsen covers environmental issues for NPR. His reports air regularly on NPR's award-winning news magazines, All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition. He also prepares documentaries for the NPR/National Geographic Radio Expeditions series, which is heard regularly on Morning Edition. Nielsen also occasionally serves as the substitute host for several NPR News programs.