[Cold Heat]

I've not seen any evidence of aft fuselage material.

Nor have I, but I do understand that some debris have been found in Arizona and possibly Nevada or California, but the info is sketchy.

If the debris is tiles, then the serial numbers may be intact and the exact location can be determined.

If they find part of the vertical stabilizer, that would change the equation. Wing drag would be replaced with stability and control issues I would think.

Too early to speculate until the data is available. I guess we all like a good mystery, but speculation is so often wrong. I see answers coming within weeks, not months.

[bonesmccoy]

This photo also appears at the KSC PAO website. Freepers have been asking if any pad debris existed.

Something is on the tail service mast which was sitting in front of the LH wing (which is the same side seen being hit by the "object" in the photos above).

this photo is looking from the launch platform up towards the gantry tower. The yellow plume is the rocket exhaust as the shuttle is clearing the tower. The arrow is pointing to some debris on the top of the service mast after the vehicle has launched.

KSC-03PD-0251 (01/16/2003) --- KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107, long, flexible debris comes out of the liquid helium 2 Tail Service Mast after the door closes. Columbia and crew were lost in a tragic accident over Texas as they made their approach to landing at KSC.

This is a photo of the tail service mast while the orbiter was still on the launch pad.