Newly released images of the space shuttle Columbia鈥檚 wheels may bear testament to the catastrophic damage wreaked by the super hot gas that penetrated the shuttle鈥檚 left wing.
Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere on 1 February, with the loss of all seven crew members.
Wheels from both wings have been recovered by investigators. During flight, the two wheels on each wing are withdrawn into a wheel well inside the fuselage. While one of the right side wheels remains largely intact, one from left-side is torn apart.
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鈥淭he blowout of the tyres would have been a very catastrophic event,鈥� said Roger Tetrault, a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB). A blowout could have been caused by hot plasma
Molten aluminium
Investigators believe plasma 鈥� gas heated to extreme temperatures during re-entry 鈥� somehow entered the left-hand side of the craft shortly before its destruction. This could cause a blow-out and explains a sudden rise in temperature that was detected by sensors on the left hand side of the craft.
However, up until contact with Columbia was lost, other sensors indicated that tire pressure was normal and it remains possible that the left wheel suffered the damage seen during final disintegration.
Further images released by the board also appear to illustrate the effect of plasma inside the shuttle鈥檚 left wing. Black soot on the left wing鈥檚 leading edge is thought to be molten aluminium from the craft鈥檚 internal frame.
鈥淢any of the tiles on the left side have a thin, black deposit on them, and that deposit has never been seen on any previous flight,鈥� said Tetrault.
But the cause of the breach that allowed plasma to penetrate the shuttle鈥檚 hull remains unknown. A leading theory is that insulating foam that fell from an external fuel tank during Columbia鈥檚 launch struck and damaged the left wing.