What was the primary goal of the initial, intensive debris recovery operation?
Answer
To retrieve every piece that could shed light on the failure mechanism for the investigation
The retrieval of crucial materials was paramount because it was necessary for the accident investigation board to piece together the sequence of events leading to the breakup.

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Where was the main debris impact zone centered following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster?What was the primary goal of the initial, intensive debris recovery operation?Approximately what percentage of the *Columbia* orbiter was recovered by NASA during the initial efforts?Which agency was heavily involved in securing and processing the wreckage recovered from the field as evidence?What is a key reason why small fragments of the shuttle might surface years after the disaster?What characteristic of the debris scatter field contributed to findings occurring long after the initial sweeps concluded?What process can expose a shuttle fragment that had been buried in wooded terrain for two decades?In addition to official investigation material, what pathway allowed debris to enter private possession?Which entity maintained custody of the bulk of the material vital for understanding the structural failure?The ongoing presence of debris finds in the public sphere is largely sustained by which ongoing human activity?