By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

Former astronaut and National Reconnaissance Office Chair Professor retired Navy Capt. Daniel Bursch, right, and Space Systems Academic Group (SSAG) Chair Dr. Rudy Panholzer, left, stand with a recently-acquired piece of the leading edge of a space shuttle wing, Aug. 3. The piece, one of only a few that can be viewed outside a museum, will soon be included in SSAG's Space for Space display in Bullard Hall.

"What we have is RCC panel number 11 from the right side of the leading edge of a wing from a shuttle similar to the Columbia," said Bursch. "The leading edge of the wing and the nose are made to take upwards of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit."

Although not from the Columbia, the piece acquired by SSAG would be located very near the piece that NASA experts say led to the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in February of 2003. With NPS alumnus Cmdr. William J. McCool on board, a suitcase-sized piece of foam is believed to have dislodged and struck panel number eight on the shuttle's left side, with tragic consequences.

This newest artifact from the space shuttle era is one of several pieces of memorabilia acquired by SSAG in hopes of honoring the university's lengthy legacy in space. NPS boasts more than 40 graduates that have gone on to NASA's astronaut program.