Engineers were worried about shuttle’s left wing prior to disaster

DISCLOSED e-mails inside NASA showed senior engineers worried a day before the Columbia disaster that the shuttle’s left wing might burn off and cause the deaths of the crew, a scenario remarkably similar to the one investigators believe actually occurred.

The dozens of pages of e-mails describe a broader, internal debate than previously acknowledged the seriousness of potential damage to Columbia from a liftoff collision with foam debris from its central fuel tank. Engineers never sent their warnings to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's brass. Engineers in Texas and Virginia fretted about the shuttle's safety during its final three days in orbit.

One speculated whether officials were "just relegated to crossing their fingers", another questioned why such dire issues had been raised so late.