S. Thurston, NASA, Kenneday Space Center, FL; J. Comer, NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL; A. R. Marder, R. M. Deacon, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Summary:

At the conclusion of the Columbia recovery operation NASA formed the �Columbia Recovery and Preservation Office�. Part of the function of this office is to provide a process for the loan of Columbia debris to qualified researchers and technical educators for the purpose of aiding the advancement of spacecraft design, studying hypersonic re-entry, training accident investigators and to establish an enduring legacy for Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew. This paper will outline how this new office operates and provide and overview of the debris loan process.

In collaboration with this new office, Lehigh University received 50 pieces of Columbia debris for use in a senior level failure analysis course for Materials Science and Engineering majors. By involving the students in a "real world" problem, they were able to apply their theoretical class work to a major engineering problem and experience the pressures of time, security, and planning that they will encounter in their future careers. The approach to the course will be reviewed and examples of the analyzed debris will be presented