posted 03-02-2005 09:22 AM               

quote:

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - When the space shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas, it scattered 84,000 pieces of debris, and most of it has never been closely analyzed. Now, two years after the disaster that killed seven astronauts, Lehigh University students are getting a rare look at these unexamined parts — and NASA hopes their findings might contribute to the design of a next-generation space vehicle.

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