NASA has released fragments from the space shuttle Columbia to a non-government group for the first time since the accident for study. The Aerospace Corporation, in El Segundo, California requested and will receive graphite/epoxy honeycomb skins from several sections of the destroyed spacecraft. The Aerospace Corporation will hold onto the debris for a year, and perform a series of tests to understand the maximum temperatures that it faced during re-entry. Several other "Request for Information" applications are still being considered by NASA.