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NASA engineers are pursuing competing theories about what may have caused the catastrophic breakup of the space shuttle Columbia. NPR's Larry Abramson reports on how forensic investigators keep a constantly open mind until the evidence for one theory becomes so strong that it leaves no room for doubt.

Since the end of the Cold War, civilian contractors become vital to the military as armed forces shrink by more than a third. If America goes to war against Iraq, not everyone in battle will be in uniform -- and many civilians will be close to the frontlines. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Search crews near Fort Worth find a large segment of wing from space shuttle Columbia. It could provide important clues about the cause of Saturday's disaster. NASA continues to study photos taken by the Air Force in Columbia's final minutes of flight, reportedly showing damage to the craft's left wing. Hear from NPR's Richard Harris.

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Stefan Fatsis, sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal about this weekend's National Basketball Association All-Star game in Atlanta. The game will feature Michael Jordan in, presumably, his final all-star appearance. A big topic of discussion among players is a petition by two 17-year-old Europeans to gain early entry into the league.

Seven Nations is a rock band with an unusual pedigree: based in Florida, schooled in traditional Celtic music traditions, but with amps that go to 11. The five members of the band recently joined NPR's Liane Hansen in Studio 4A for a performance chat -- watch a video of the group performing their song "Twelve."

Historians and other scholars are examining the state of black studies. Some 400 black studies programs and departments exist, but there have been few conferences such as the one in New York this weekend, and some say there's an identity crisis. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports that last night more than 2,600 hopeful homebuyers in Marin County, Calif., participated in a lottery for 351 affordable homes on an abandoned Army air field at Novato. Novato officials said they worked with developers for years to find a way to offer below-market homes that local firefighters, police and teachers could afford. The median home price in Marin County is $554,000.

A nightclub bombing in Bogota, Colombia, leaves at least 20 people dead. The club is part of a luxurious complex frequented by the city's wealthier and more glamorous personalities. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.

Among 12,000 fragments of space shuttle Columbia located so far, NASA has what may be its first significant discovery: a portion of the spacecraft's wing. But NASA is cautious about what Friday's find means for efforts to reconstruct the disaster. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Action star Jackie Chan is back in Shanghai Knights -- and he's reunited with American sidekick Owen Wilson. This time they're after a killer in old England. Entertainment critic Elvis Mitchell speaks with NPR's Scott Simon.