&EPA
REGION 10 DIVE TEAM
www.epa.gov/region10/dive
EPA Region 10 Dive Team
Columbia Shuttle Recovery Dive Support; Winter-Spring 2003
What: The EPA Region 10 Dive Team was called upon by the EPA Region 7 dive team for assistance
with in-water recovery of parts of the Columbia Space Shuttle, which disintegrated upon re-entry on
Saturday, February 1, 2003. Also involved under the overall direction of the U.S. Navy were divers from
EPA's Environmental Response Team, EPA Region 3, FBI, and Texas police search and recovery
teams. All diving operations were conducted to support a FEMA request.
Why: Divers were called upon to dive areas suspected of having shuttle debris as determined by sonar
search previous to each day of diving. EPA divers have special expertise needed for the many hazardous
materials that could be encountered and for the low-visibility diving environment.
Where: Toledo-Bend Reservoir, near Jasper, Texas on the Texas/Louisiana State border.
When: Diving was conducted starting immediately after the accident, and continued for several months.
How: Divers on tether and in constant communication with the surface were directed in search patterns
around a DGPS buoy marked "target." Divers searched the bottom in low or zero visibility conditions by
sweeping the bottom with legs and arms to locate any suspicious objects. The reservoir contains a
submerged forest, so divers had to beware of the constant threat of entanglement with trees, horizontal
logs, and stumps.
More Details:
http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/
http://www.foxnews.eom/story/0.2933.78993.00.html
Video: Space Shuttle Columbia Recovery (King 5 News)
Contact: Sean Sheldrake at sheldrake.sean@epa.gov

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Photos:
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Region 10 divers assisted in the search at the Toledo-Bend Reservoir at the end of the debris track in
East Texas
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Shuttle debris path based on data points from Anderson,
Nacogdoches and Sart Augustine Counties

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Joe Davis/Di vernaster/R.7 and Steven Donohiie/Working Diver/R3 prepare Sean Sheldrake to enter
water and test surface to diver communication.

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Bruce Duncan, Alternate UDO/Divemaster/RlO prepares to submerge using a helmet to protect his head
against tree stumps encountered on the bottom.

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Tenders Bruce Duncan and Joe Goulet assist Lisa Macchio/Working Diver preparing to submerge.

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Underwater profile view of a diver searching in shallow water.

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Dan Cooke/ERT prepares Rob Pedersen/UDO/Divemaster/RIO
to enter water on surface supplied air.

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Raytheon
Later into the project, sonar was used aboard each dive platform to assist the diver search around each
"target."

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The live sonar readout allowed tracking of the diver and selection of targets to search.
Return to EPA Region 10 Dive Team homepage.

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