New Mexico Hams Help with Columbia Debris Search

Amateur Radio continued its involvement with efforts to locate space shuttle Columbia debris, as NASA’s search shifted focus last week to include points west of Texas. According to NASA, the search for parts is running along the shuttle’s re-entry path, basically 60 miles north or south of a line from San Francisco, California, to Lafayette, Louisiana.

New Mexico amateurs helped with efforts in the Albuquerque area last weekend. Members of the New Mexico Search and Rescue Support Team were involved with follow-up efforts in Embudito Canyon, in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.

Authorities asked the NM SAR Support Team to provide communication and incident base support February 15 for a massive search involving more than 150 searchers. Although several small objects were found in the rugged terrain, none were attributed to the Columbia.

NASA has asked for help in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in locating any material that may have fallen from Columbia as it was re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. “Everyone is asked to be on the lookout for possible shuttle material 60 miles north or south of the re-entry track,” NASA said.