Theft of Shuttle Pieces Hard to Prevent

Washington Post ^

[GulliverSwift]

Theft of Shuttle Pieces Hard to Prevent

By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 4, 2003; Page A01

NACOGDOCHES, Tex., Feb. 3 -- About 100 pieces of debris from the space shuttle Columbia are missing from unguarded sites across heavily wooded Nacogdoches County, including a piece of computer equipment that may hold clues as to why the spacecraft disintegrated as it roared over Texas Saturday morning, authorities said today.

Police were visiting a private home late this afternoon in search of the computer component, but federal and local officials acknowledged there was little they could do to prevent the theft of pieces of the spacecraft that are scattered across forests, roadsides, schoolgrounds and private lawns. There were no arrests by late today, despite a promise by the FBI to charge looters with crimes.

"People are going to pick stuff up," said Gary Moore, a field coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency, which has taken the lead in gathering the debris. "You know people are going to try to get souvenirs."

[GulliverSwift]

I can't believe the title of this. Everybody already knows they can't prevent the "theft" of someone picking up shuttle material from his own yard, in the middle of nowhere.

I don't see anything wrong with wanting some memorabilia, but I do understand their need to research how this disaster happened.

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

Yeah. It's hard to strike a balance between "what lands on your property through no fault of yours belongs to us," and "we need to find out what went wrong so please leave government property undisturbed." I don't know the answer, either.

[eyespysomething]

I think I would be tempted to keep a piece, especially if they are quarter-sized (small) but I think my guilt at what they are trying to find out, and the possibility that something I had could aid them, would cause me to not keep it. Now, the part with pieces of the computer...that's not good. What are people thinking?

[Stone Mountain]

Well, if they want to recover as much wreckage as possible, they should stop calling people who pick up debris from their own property "thieves" and try to work with them instead.

[Dinsdale]

They may not be thieves but they are criminals (felons at that).

If I drop my wallet on your sidewalk is it yours now? How about if I park my car on your land? (You usually own the street to the center line, I 'marked' the four corners of my lot.)

[roadcat]

The people who steal the parts are thieves. There is a federal law against taking debris from aircraft involved in an accident. The penalty if caught is many years in prison. The space shuttle is covered under this federal law. Sooner or later, people are going to have to give up the debris. Better sooner in order to avoid prosecution.

[LibWhacker]

. . . from unguarded sites . . .

It sounds like these are sites the authorities knew about but left unguarded. If so, perhaps those sites should be guarded! Or perhaps the debris should be picked and moved to a guarded site. Unbelievable.

[mombonn]

If one of these "thieves" had lost a loved one under tragic circumstances, I wonder what their reaction would be to tampering with evidence that might disclose the cause of the loss?

[JuliaAnne]

I don't understand WHY anyone would want a piece of the shuttle debris. Sheesh - must be the same type of people who would buy a fridge from Dahmer's old house. Horrible.

[Arkinsaw]

Not only are they ghouls, they are endangering the lives of future US Shuttle crewmembers. Each should be prosecuted to the fullest for that alone.

[TRY ONE]

"Theft of Shuttle Pieces Hard to Prevent "

Not True! Just post the following note.

Warning: Contact with space vehicle fragments
with cause beer to taste funny!

[Riley]

Why not offer a bounty?

[Jack Black]

aircraft involved in an accident. Is the shuttle an aircraft?

[Question_Assumptions]

I know one thing the President could do to help stop this problem -- offer a presidential pardon to anyone who beats the living crap out of anyone that they can prove stole a piece of the shuttle Columbia. Yes, this really annoys me that much.

[MissAmericanPie]

Alot of pieces landed in my home town, the schools, all two of them, were closed. I don't think anyone will be keeping souvenirs, too much danger involved.

[Mike Darancette]

The farthur East the wreckage is discovered the more informative it will be.

It is my guess that they can find a left landing gear door (or parts thereof) in Eastern California or Western Nevada. Very remote Basin and range country but little ground cover to hide wreckage.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I don't see anything wrong with wanting some memorabilia,

Huh? This is a disgrace and totally selfish on the part of anyone who would do this. The piece that some idiot wants to put on his freaking mantel, could be the very piece needed to determine the cause of this event.

[roadcat]

"aircraft involved in an accident. Is the shuttle an aircraft?"

Yes, it is. And I've seen reports that it is indeed covered under aircraft regulations in regards to crashes.

[Joe Hadenuf]

The farthur East the wreckage is discovered the more informative it will be.

I would tend to disagree with this statement.

I believe that the pieces found furthest west, would be much more revealing in the investigation. As in any investigation into a collision or accident, the initial point of impact, or beginning of an event is critical to determine the cause of the event.

[crazykatz]

I think he should offer a reward to anybody who beats the crap out of any dirty rotten thief that steals shuttle debris.