Had it functioned properly, the blowout preventer would have sealed off the well after the explosion that ripped through it in April and the biggest maritime oil spill in history would never have happened.

The giant safety valve, which is being transferred to a NASA facility near New Orleans after being raised from the ocean on Saturday, could incriminate BP or one of the other firms involved in drilling the well.

The valve will stay under Justice Department custody, but other entities, including a US government-appointed investigative panel and congressional committees, are likely to seek access to examine it.

An assessment on Saturday from the US official overseeing the spill response that the Macondo well "does not constitute a threat" anymore will bring relief to a region that watched with despair and frustration as an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude leaked into the ocean.

The leak began with an April 20 explosion that tore through the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig, killing 11 workers. The platform sank two days later, and by April 24, the Coast Guard confirmed crude was leaking into the sea.

The extent of the disaster would not be understood for months, when estimates of the leak's size were finally raised from initial figures of 1,000-5,000 barrels a day to between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels.

The flow rate is among the aspects of the disaster now being examined in public hearings, court cases, congressional inquiries and the Justice Department's criminal probe.

BP is a prime target for the investigations, which are also examining the roles of other firms, including Halliburton, which cemented the well; Transocean, which leased the rig to BP; and Cameron International, which supplied the blowout preventer.

A joint investigation board appointed by the US Homeland Security and Interior Departments is expected to hold a fifth public hearing October 4-8 examining the device and the equipment used to drill the well.

The panel is to produce a final report in January 2011. It cannot charge individuals or firms, but can refer any allegations of criminal conduct to the Justice Department.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the department's inquiry would examine "a wide range of things from false statements to the way certain entities have conducted themselves."

It will also look into potential violations of multiple environmental regulations, including the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The spill washed up in all five Gulf states -- Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Louisiana was particularly hard-hit, with thick crude clogging its fragile wetland ecosystems.

It has prompted a flood a lawsuits, including from environmental groups, the state of Alabama and hundreds of individuals who suffered financial losses.

Some 77 cases have been consolidated for consideration by a judge in Louisiana, and over 200 more could be added.

The firms involved in the spill also face congressional scrutiny, with an array of Senate and House of Representatives committees examining the disaster.

At the forefront of their efforts is Representative Ed Markey, who has pushed BP to accept government estimates of the amount of oil that leaked from the well each day.

Those estimates will help determine how large a fine BP will pay over the spill, with Markey saying they could be assessed between 1,100 to 4,300 dollars per barrel spilled.

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