Space shuttle Columbia part found in east Texas

By the CNN Wire Staff

August 2, 2011 4:06 p.m. EDT

Recovered debris from the space shuttle Columbia lies in a hangar at Kennedy Space Center in May 2003.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The object is a tank that provides power and water for shuttle missions
• It was found after drought caused lake waters to recede
• Columbia broke up while re-entering atmosphere in 2003

RELATED TOPICS

• Space Shuttle Columbia
• NASA
• Manned Space Flight
• Texas

(CNN) -- Authorities in a Texas city found material from space shuttle Columbia that had fallen into a local lake.
NASA calls the object, which is 4 feet in diameter, a PRSD: power reactant storage and distribution, said Lisa Malone, a spokeswoman for the agency.
The object is a tank that provides power and water for shuttle missions, she said.
"It's one of ours," Malone said, adding that NASA is trying to develop a plan to recover the item,
But it could take weeks to get it, she said.
"We're looking into whether we'll send a team out or local authorities can," Malone said.
Authorities in the east Texas city of Nacogdoches say the object was found after the drought caused the waters to recede in Lake Nacogdoches, and they notified representatives from NASA on Friday.
The item is full of mud and is in a remote area near a private shoreline, said Sgt. Greg Sowell of the Nacogdoches Police Department.
Nacogdoches made headlines in 2003 when debris from the shuttle Columbia disaster was found there.
The spacecraft broke up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere near the end of its mission on February 1, 2003.

"We want to remind everyone that the rules are the same as they were back in 2003. If this object is indeed a part of the shuttle, it is government property, and it is a criminal offense to tamper with it," Sowell said.