Possible Shuttle Debris Turns Up Negative

Federal officials are investigating more than 350 reports of possible debris from Columbia found across California, Arizona and New Mexico, but NASA said today no space shuttle parts have been confirmed west of Texas.

Investigators from NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency continue to check out the reports, including 132 in California. Already NASA has concluded that 16 of the pieces of possible debris found in the three states did not come from Columbia.

E-P-A spokeswoman Laura Gentile says the finds ruled out by NASA as coming from the shuttle include a section of black foam discovered in Woodside. NASA officials say more than 12-thousand pieces of debris from the roughly 240-thousand-pound Columbia have been found in Texas and Louisiana.