NEW YORK, July 16 (UPI) -- The Columbia astronauts lived for nearly a minute after their final communication with mission control, a report said Wednesday.
The talk came well after signs the craft was in serious trouble, according to investigators at NASA and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, the New York Times said.
Investigators are scrutinizing data from an on-board sensor recording system that continued to function far into the breakup of the Columbia for clues about how to improve the survivability of future space vehicles, possibly even the three remaining shuttles.
NASA is planning to disclose more information soon about the fate of the crew, drawing from analysis of debris, information on where the debris was found and data from an on-board data recorder.
Records indicate the crew capsule would have been severely buffeted. The crew was aware of sensor readings indicating major problems.
