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The shuttle just exploded. holy shit

spongyblue wrote:The shuttle just exploded. holy shit

No, they've lost communications. It wasn't a Challenger type explosion. They don't know what's happened but they think they lost it.

Yeah I'm watching it go down, looks like a total loss

Stormbringer wrote:No, they've lost communications. It wasn't a Challenger type explosion. They don't know what's happened by they think they lost it.

There's a debris trail heading right over California. It's not looking too good now.

Crayz9000 wrote: There's a debris trail heading right over California. It's not looking too good now.

FUCK!

Dammit!

Crayz9000 wrote:

Stormbringer wrote:No, they've lost communications. It wasn't a Challenger type explosion. They don't know what's happened by they think they lost it.

There's a debris trail heading right over California. It's not looking too good now.

No, it sure as hell doesn't. So far though they aren't saying what the hell happened.

DAMN either she hit something or its structural failure ......,total loss they`re reporting a large impact in Texas

It seems most like there was a malfunction resulting in an explosion

Stormbringer wrote:No, it sure as hell doesn't. So far though they aren't saying what the hell happened.

Usually when they say nothing, it means the worst.

Ted wrote:

Stormbringer wrote:No, it sure as hell doesn't. So far though they aren't saying what the hell happened.

Usually when they say nothing, it means the worst.

Yeah, that's it does. But I think they're still in the "what the hell just happened?" phase.

Could the shuttles age have done her in? 28 missions over 20 odd years .......

Typhonis 1 wrote:Could the shuttles age have done her in? 28 missions over 20 odd years .......

You'd think they'd maintain them better but it's certainly possible. Of course all but Endeavour are now about that age.

I'm curious as how these people in Texas were hearing it with it being so high... and the shaking. Or maybe it was much lower then.

Damn... theory: Maybe it's because Columbia is old?

207,000 feet above Texas when they lost contact..
12,500 mph at the time

People DID hear the boom. It's all over freerepublic and the news boards now...

They have video, which shows it breaking up into a number of pieces. Total loss shuttle and crew. You can't bail out at that speed or height.

The shuttle has a better safety record then most booster rockets. But given its age and this being the second total loss, this is likely the end of the program.

Kelly Antilles wrote:Damn... theory: Maybe it's because Columbia is old?

All the other shuttles are the same age, more or less. They are definately going to ground the shuttle fleet for at least a few years, meaning that all supplies to the ISS are going to come aboard Soyuz capsules.

May accellerate the development of a replacement vehicle

Typhonis 1 wrote:May accellerate the development of a replacement vehicle

NASA won't do dick, unfortunately. They cancelled the replacement stuff years ago....

Crayz9000 wrote:

Kelly Antilles wrote:Damn... theory: Maybe it's because Columbia is old?

All the other shuttles are the same age, more or less. They are definately going to ground the shuttle fleet for at least a few years, meaning that all supplies to the ISS are going to come aboard Soyuz capsules.

Endeavour is quite 10 years younger than that others if I recall right. The rest are from the same batch.

And how long they're grounded will depend on what happened.

It was also carrying an Israeli astronaut, im sure there are going to be a lot of sabotage theories.

Well unless someone tried volly firing SAMs in its path I cant think of a missle that can travel at Mach 6+

What are the reprecussions on NASA and any continued space program? Will this put an end to the 'man on Mars by 2010'?

The guy on FOX news is saying the crew might have been able to bail out, but I don't buy it...

Jadeite wrote:It was also carrying an Israeli astronaut, im sure there are going to be a lot of sabotage theories.

Nasa nixing that one already

MKSheppard wrote:

Typhonis 1 wrote:May accellerate the development of a replacement vehicle

NASA won't do dick, unfortunately. They cancelled the replacement stuff years ago....

And physically broke up the technology demonstrator. Currently there is very low level work on new space lifters, but it basically paying some people to check out private compaines web sites.

HemlockGrey wrote:What are the reprecussions on NASA and any continued space program? Will this put an end to the 'man on Mars by 2010'?

The guy on FOX news is saying the crew might have been able to bail out, but I don't buy it...

That's going to kill that for sure. Depending on what this it'll put things on hold for a long time.

And it's damn near impossible for them to bail out at Mach 6.