The severe drought in eastern Texas has exposed a grim artifact.

A piece of the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia was found in a dried-up lake north of Houston, Texas.

NASA engineers confirm that the large globe-shaped piece was one of 18 fuel tanks that plunged to Earth or disintegrated when Columbia broke apart upon reentry in 2003.

The disaster killed all seven astronauts. Investigators determined that a heat shield damaged upon liftoff caused the accident.

NASA says people living in Louisiana and Texas still find pieces of Columbia, which was scattered for hundreds of kilometers.

NASA retired the Space Shuttle program last month after 30 years and 135 missions.