Even the pieces of wreckage that were not directly related to the accident held mysteries for us. Why did one piece of equipment come back heavily damaged, while another that was sitting right next to it was relatively unscathed? Why did all the propellant and other tanks in the ship come back in such good shape? Why were the oxygen feed lines in the engine manifolds more decayed than the hydrogen feed lines? Solving these riddles engaged everyone’s intellectual and engineering curiosity and kept us from dwelling too long on the tragedy represented by the debris of our beloved Columbia.
Why is this approached from a scientiific angle, while the watch is seen as miraculous?
