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.

Nasa’s first shuttle launch in four months was postponed today because of Hurricane Lili.

NASA has expressed confidence that a cooling system problem aboard space shuttle Columbia would not prematurely end the spacecraft’s mission to overhaul the Hubble Space Telescope.