Shuttle Searchers Cordon Off Two Areas Along Florida Coast

Two areas off the Florida coast have been cordoned off by the U.S. Coast Guard as searchers zeroed in Thursday on wreckage lying on the bottom of the Atlantic believed to be from the space shuttle Challenger.

Both of the areas being covered in the search are just east of the shuttle launch site. One of the areas, which is in relatively shallow water, covers a three-mile radius from a point 15 miles from shore. It is so rigidly controlled that no vessel is allowed even to pass through it.

In the other area, which is in waters up to 1,100 feet deep, fishermen are allowed to pass through if they first notify an on-scene Coast Guard cutter. The second area, which is slightly north of the first, starts at the beach and extends to 72 miles offshore.

Boosters Sought

The focus of the recovery efforts is believed to be parts of one and maybe both of Challenger’s solid rocket boosters.

Recovering such large chunks from the ocean floor is expected to be a difficult and time-consuming task because some of them may weigh several tons. The trick will be to raise such parts without causing further damage that might destroy their value to investigators looking into the Jan. 28 explosion.

Special interest centers on the solid rocket boosters because one of them is a prime suspect in the accident, which killed all seven Challenger crew members.

Among the search vessels Thursday were two National Aeronautics and Space Administration ships, Liberty Star and Independence, which are normally used to retrieve the boosters from the sea after launch.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard, which is responsible only for the surface search, continued reducing its commitment to the effort in the face of declining success.

Warrant Officer Paul Scotti said some surface debris may have been carried northward by the Gulf Stream. He said the Coast Guard may wrap up its search by the end of the week.