Possible Space Shuttle Debris Found at Lake Nacogdoches

Thanks to the ongoing drought, the sinking water level at Lake Nacogdoches has revealed something that could be a long-lost piece of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

Nacogdoches law officers say a large white globe-shaped tank about four feet in diameter, corroded and filled with mud, has been found at the north end of the lake.

A spokesman says they feel confident it came from the shuttle, based on their experience in the widespread search for debris after the shuttle came down in 2003.

He says they've contacted NASA and they've been told that investigators will come check it out and remove it if it did come from the shuttle.

Columbia exploded during re-entry over East Texas on February 1, 2003 after a piece of insulation fell off the booster tank and punched a hole in the shuttle during launch.  Recovery efforts ultimately found only 85,000 pounds — only 38 percent — of the craft, according to Associated Press reports.

That means more than 60 percent of the debris is still "out there", hidden deep in the woods, or at the bottom of the several large lakes in the area where the shuttle came down.

via Depleted Lake Levels Reveal Possible Peace Of Shuttle Columbia.

The spokesman also says people who come across something they think could be space shuttle debris should leave it where it is and contact the Sheriff's department.

He says the shuttle debris is still government property and anyone who tries to remove it and keep it will be prosecuted.

It's been said that people of east Texas will still be finding pieces of shuttle Columbia a hundred years from now.