NASA: Columbia shuttle item found in Texas lake

HOUSTON (AP) — A NASA spokeswoman says a piece of the space shuttle Columbia has been found in a drought-stricken Texas lake.

The shuttle broke apart and burned in February 2003, killing seven people and scattering shuttle pieces across East Texas.

NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone said Tuesday the spherical object, 40 inches in diameter, was a tank and part of the shuttle’s electrical power distribution system.

Nacogdoches police had said the tank was recovered from a lake that had seen its water levels drop because of the drought.

Sgt. Greg Sowell says the lower water level has exposed a larger than normal area on the north side of Lake Nacogdoches.

Malone says the tank will be shipped to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where other Columbia debris is stored.