Investigators have found new evidence of the violent heating Columbia experienced during its final moments, including a slag of molten aluminum and stainless steel on the inside of a panel that was part of the leading edge of the shuttle's left wing.
Roger Tetrault, a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, told a news briefing here that some of the slag also has been found on interior fittings that supported other segments of the shuttle's leading edge, which is made of a high-strength composite material called carbon-carbon.
"Basically the wing was being eaten from the inside out," Tetrault said later. "We know that." Structures that supported the carbon-carbon segments on Columbia's leading edge were made of stainless steel, which melts at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, Tetrault said. The wing's skin and lattice work of support members are made of aluminum, which melts at about 900 degrees.
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