Official: Probability of finding shuttle debris in Nevada is ‘high’

Friday, Feb. 21, 2003 | 10:07 a.m.

There is a good chance pieces of the space shuttle Columbia could be found in the Nevada desert, said an official with the Nevada wing of the Civil Air Patrol, participating in the search today.

"The probability is high," said Maj. Charles McCarty of the local Civil Air Patrol, which sent three squadrons on searches of a 15-square-mile area of the desert near Panaca and Caliente near U.S. 93 East to the Utah state line. "(Federal authorities) would not have asked for use of the resources unless they were confident of finding something that would help the investigation. We are confident something will turn up."

Following the breakup of the Columbia Feb. 1, NASA investigators at first focused their search on areas of Texas and Louisiana. However findings of shuttle material in California has led investigators to take a closer look in other states the Columbia crossed as it made its way east to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

McCarty said the national headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol was contacted by federal officials to begin the first official search in Nevada after radar records were examined. The search area was determined based on the last "blip" that appeared on the radar screen over Nevada skies, McCarty said.

As many as 20 volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol, which is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, were scheduled to search the area during daylight hours today as well as Saturday and Sunday. They will search both from the air and on the ground.

"What we will do is form a straight line and walk side by side looking for anything -- tiles, metal plates -- any type of information that will help," CAP Maj. David Jadwin, the ground team leader, said. "When we spot something we will stop and mark it to document it."

Among the search teams will be local Civil Air Patrol cadets who took a day off from school to participate.

"This will be something I can talk to my kids and grandkids about someday -- that I helped look for the space shuttle," said Kenneth Ramirez, 15, a cadet and a student at Clark High School.

Brett Donaldson, a 16-year-old cadet who attends Mojave High School, said he was "very excited" -- "I'm really looking forward to this opportunity."

Senior patrol members such as Glen Church, a retiree, drove to the site with his horse trailer and was to join the search on horseback. Volunteers in four-wheel vehicles will also take part, along with deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

The Utah wing of the Civil Air Patrol will be searching an adjacent area from the Nevada state line to St. George.

The search for what could be tiny pieces of evidence is a new challenge for the Civil Air Patrol which is more commonly called in to hunt for large pieces of downed aircraft, McCarty said. Some pieces of the Columbia reportedly found elsewhere have been as small as a nickel.

One of the search teams will fly a Cessna 182 over the desert and coordinate with ground crews via radio. The crews will be looking for reflective objects that "just don't belong," McCarty said.

McCarty urged people to stay away from the search area.