CREWS combed suburban gardens and remote Texas woodlands for the remains of space shuttle Columbia yesterday as experts focused on a heat surge on the left side of the doomed spacecraft in the early investigation of why it disintegrated.

The families of Columbia’s crew today urged that the “bold exploration of space must go on.”

INVESTIGATORS were last night focusing on Columbia’s left wing as they tried to determine what destroyed the space shuttle, killing all seven astronauts on board.

The remains of all seven astronauts aboard the Columbia have been found, Nasa said today, as the investigation continued into what caused the shuttle to disintegrate.

One focus of attention in the investigation into the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia is possible damage to its protective thermal tiles on the left wing from a flying piece of debris during lift-off on January 16.

Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, gave a troubled country something to cheer about when he blasted off on January 16 on the space shuttle Columbia.