The Nation : More Shuttle Debris Seen

Sonar images of the seabed where Challenger’s crew cabin fell, made available to reporters, show a tight mass of wreckage still remaining to be salvaged. Aboard the G. W. Pierce, sonar expert Robert Kutzleb said whitish areas on the image indicated places where other wreckage had been recovered, exposing depressions in the sandy seabed. The salvage crew still has several days’ work, he said. The sonar map clearly shows the anchor marks of the Preserver, the Navy salvage ship that has made four trips to the wreck site, called target 67, to recover debris and remains of the seven crew members. Cmdr. James R. Buckingham, directing the Navy’s role in the salvage operation, said in an interview that debris from the shuttle itself is concentrated in an oval area offshore measuring about 5 by 7 miles.