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Talk of the Nation/Science Friday host Ira Flatow joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about Columbia's scientific mission.

Lt. Col. Dan Biggie, an Air Force chaplain, joins host Steve Inskeep from Cocoa Beach, Fla., where spectators had been waiting for the shuttle Columbia to land. He discusses the role of chaplains and how astronauts deal with the danger of their occupation.

NPR's Ned Wharton captures reactions to the shuttle Columbia disaster from visitors at the National Air & Space Museum.

NPR's Eric Niiler reports on the investigation into the shuttle Columbia disaster.

The space shuttle Columbia shatters minutes before a planned landing in Florida Saturday morning. President Bush tells the nation: "Columbia is lost. There are no survivors." Listen to NPR News.

Space shuttle Columbia breaks into pieces over Texas, killing all seven crew members aboard. President Bush tells the nation the work of the space program will go on. NASA engineers begin the grim task of determining what went wrong. NPR News reports.

NPR News coverage of the space shuttle Columbia disaster continues.

President Bush proposes the "Terrorist Threat Integration Center," a new surveillance initiative aimed at improving coordination among the FBI, the CIA and other federal intelligence agencies. But some analysts say it won't overcome decades-old rivalries between U.S. spy agencies. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

After nearly becoming extinct at the end of the 1800s, the bison -- also known as the American buffalo -- made a comeback, and buffalo meat is back on market shelves. But demand for the meat has dropped, and some ranchers are charging hunters to hunt and shoot the massive beasts on private land. Matt Hackworth of member station KCUR reports -- follow along as two hunters stalk a bull buffalo on the Kansas prairie.

A converted barn in northern Indiana is the happening place for acoustic music fans. It's known as LVD's, and it's run by Elva Miller. LVD's has become a haven for acoustic musicians, and it draws dedicated fans and world-class musicians. Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers reports.

For decades, scientists have searched for plants containing disease-fighting compounds. Some powerful cancer drugs are derived from a flower that grows in the forests of Madagascar. But experts say the oceans, teeming with life, might be a better place to search. As NPR's Eric Niiler reports, researchers are now scouring the seven seas in hopes of finding the next blockbuster drug.

A new law says money coming from the frozen assets of foreign countries must be released to victims of terror attacks if they win damage awards in court. A federal judge heard the claims of Americans seeking Iraqi assets this week, and various other Americans likely will try to claim some of the money. NPR's Libby Lewis reports.

The head of the U.S. Pacific fleet is requesting that reinforcements be sent to assist U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

The government says the nation's gross domestic product grew just 0.7 percent during the last quarter of 2002, a steep decline from the 4.2-percent growth during the preceding three months. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to NPR's Jim Zarroli.

A U.S. Army helicopter with several Americans aboard crashes near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, and some casualties are reported, a senior American official says. Meanwhile, the Pentagon for the first time discloses that some U.S. military forces are on the ground in Northern Iraq. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

President Bush says he'll give diplomats "weeks, not months" to find a solution to the Iraq crisis. But he also says he would welcome exile for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as an alternative to war. Meanwhile, eight European states show support for U.S. policy regarding Iraq in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen and NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden profiles the seven astronauts who perished aboard the space shuttle Columbia. (This is a repeat from earlier in the show.)

Troubleshooters are expected to scrutinize the shuttle Columbia's auxiliary power units, which help provide power to the orbiter's steering mechanisms during descent -- a task that requires highly flammable fuel. NPR's Howard Berkes joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about the role APUs play in reentry and why their redesign had been on NASA's to-do list. (This is a repeat from earlier in the show.)

NPR's Jackie Northam reports on the disaster's impact on America's contribution to the international space station. (This is a repeat from earlier in the show.)

NPR's John Burnett rejoins Steve Inskeep from the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, where NASA missions are directed and its people are considered to be friends and family. The front gate of the space center there has become a place to gather and mourn, as Ground Zero did after Sept. 11.