Columbia Astronaut Wore Ring While In Orbit

NASA has a mystery -- and a potential cover-up -- on its hands. Four years after the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, scattering debris over Texas and Louisiana... one important item remains missing, and the husband of one of the astronauts who perished in that tragedy wants to know where it is.

According to an ABC News investigation, a wedding ring astronaut Laurel Clark (right) wore around her neck while in orbit onboard Columbia remains missing, despite the fact Clark's remains were recovered after the accident. Moreover, a report obtained by ABC alleges the ring was found on Clark's person, but that it was then stolen.

Local authorities, including the Texas Rangers, pressed for a Crime Stoppers report to be released to the public in an attempt to recover the ring.

Clark's husband, Jonathan, even met with NASA's chief investigator Robert Cobb to announce he was going public with news of the missing ring, in an effort to recover the precious link to his wife... but he was allegedly told that going public with the news would be bad publicity.

"The whole NASA Columbia investigation was not going well. NASA wanted it finished, and for the outcome to reveal nothing that would make NASA look bad or would shake the public's trust in NASA," Cobb said, according to the documents obtained by ABC News.

A NASA employee in the report also quoted Cobb as saying, "Can you believe how embarrassing that would have looked for the agency if that [Crime Stoppers Report] went out?"

According to the report, a Texas Ranger went to the Office of the Inspector General with suspicions someone at NASA wanted the investigation into the missing ring shut down -- because if word got out the ring had, in fact, been stolen, it would have reflected poorly on NASA's conduct into the Columbia investigation.

Members of the House Science Committee told ABC they are convinced hearings will be required to determine whether there was a cover-up at NASA. But that still won't solve the mystery of where the ring is.

FMI: www.nasa.gov