Columbia Recovery: Forensics

NPR | By Eric Niiler

Published February 3, 2003 at 12:00 AM EST

NPR's Eric Niiler reports on the process of identifying the remains of the seven astronauts aboard the Columbia space shuttle. NASA will identify the bodies using dental records, blood type, fingerprints and, perhaps, DNA.

Eric Niiler

Eric Niiler reports for NPR's national desk. His work can be heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other NPR newsmagazines. Before moving to his current post, Niiler was a reporter for NPR's Day to Day program, and also filed pieces for NPR's national and science desks.

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