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Intro music.

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With an eye on the future of American spaceflight, NASA is releasing the first pieces of

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Space Shuttle Columbia debris to the aerospace industry for research.

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NASA believes permitting access to the debris will allow manufacturers to design

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and build safer, more efficient and reliable components for future spacecraft.

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"As part of the reconstruction and the investigation, the folks who were supporting the investigation came in and were taking a lot of notes and responding:

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"Hey, there's a lot neat science that can be taken from Columbia not related to the accident."

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In response to the enthusiasm shown by the investigators, NASA asked that companies interested in viewing Columbia contact the Agency.

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An impressive 20 Companies announced interest in studying the Shuttle.

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The first company outside of the Agency to receive portions of Columbia is The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California.

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The company will spend the next year studying eight storage tanks associated with Columbia's propulsion system.

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The tanks are made of a graphite/epoxy composite and range in size from a large beach ball to a kitchen table top.

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Company researchers are interested in seeing how the skins weathered the shuttle's superheated passage through the Earth's atmosphere.

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Specifically, the researchers will try to estimate Columbia's maximum temperature

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by factoring in the weight, shape and recovery location of the components.

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This information will help to calibrate tools and models used to predict how composite materials and spacecraft will behave durng reentry.

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In time, more pieces of Columbia are expected to be loaned for testing and used to expand our understanding of the rigors of spaceflight.

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The mission of Space Shuttle Columbia continues today by shedding light on the reentry process and creating a foundation for the spacecraft of tomorrow.

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