[Richard Kimball]

The remains won't be what you think of as remains. Without going into gross detail, if portions of the capsule remained intact until the shuttle reached a lower level, pieces of a pound or two are possible. Sorry to post this, but I've tried to be as respectful as possible.

The exploration of space is a dangerous endeavour. The worst tragedy would be if this stopped us from moving forward. I believe it is time to begin the next generation of spacecraft, and phase out the current fleet. I still have a Challenger patch on my blue jean jacket. We're supposed to visit NASA in Houston in a couple of weeks. If I can, I'll probably pick up another patch from the Columbia. These people deserve honor and respect, but the exploration of space must continue. When mankind quits exploring, it will die.

[ladysusan]

Military jets reported in the air over Nacadoches surveying the debris field. FOX 4 showing video of a piece of curved metal the size of the bed of a pick up truck.