At least according to CNN, the Foam is back to being the 'prime suspect'. Not that I trust the media with anything over 2 syllables.....

Does anyone with more Aerospace Engineering credentials and connections than I know the *real* status of NASAs thinking about the Foam?

It seems like SUCH an unlikely culprit, even at the velocities involved... MAYBE if it was choc-full of ice... I mean the foam brick was probably already a (dense) cloud of particulated foam bits by the time it hit the wing just from the stresses involved!??

Last I heard there was discussion of a gap or failure in the landing gear bay door allowing plasma to penetrate, and another hypothesis about space garbage knocking a a hole and allowing plasma to enter and explosively fail the tire(my favorite pet theory, but I'm not really qualified to have an informed opinion about the shuttle design).

Davin L.