It remains a tragedy. I would have thought that NASA would have engaged that New Mexico Air Force telescope to clearly look at the Columbia in orbit and upon return, given the evidence of a minor mishap early on.
My hat's off to the 'geeks' who took a 3 1/2 inch telescope out of the closet and set it up on the tarmac anyway just to see if they could catch it as an unofficial achievement.
You've seen the pic, which is usually shown in reverse tone, that shows the left wing breaking up in front and lots more flash coming off it in the back. Can't find one right now to link.
Cheers.