Colombia shuttle

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-02-01 12:16pm

NASA security personnel lower the space shuttle Columbia flag from
the flagpole at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.,
after Columbia apparently broke up over Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-02-01 12:19pm

Darth Balls wrote:If it was a terrorist don't you think they would have blown it up during launch or much earlier in the mission to lessen the chance of a bomb being discovered?

This was not terrorists.

Terrorists are terrorists, not mad bombers. There's a difference. In this case, if it was terrorism, and I'm saying the liklihood is exceptionally slight, then it would have been sabotage - probably of the computers - or jamming of the up/down link.

In either case timing it for reentry is probably ideal, precisely because you might have a chance to destroy the evidence, evidence if you were doing an inside job, which such sabotage would require (probably a foreign born sympathizer scientist).

However, the vast probability is still surely simple age and wear. But terrorism still ought be investigated, merely to eliminate it.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-02-01 12:23pm

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/ ... ?page=1,50

One of the most heartbreaking threads I've ever seen....

*******

Space Shuttle Columbia Will Be Visible In San Francisco Area (6AM Pacific)
nasa

Posted on 02/01/2003 5:38 AM PST by leadpenny

Space Shuttle Columbia is in a decent for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will pass over the San Francisco Area around 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Route will take the Shuttle over Las Vegas, Flagstaff, etc. NASA has still not decided which runway will be used. Landing will be at 9:16 AM Eastern.

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and it progressively gets worse

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-02-01 12:24pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote: The WCotC can see an upside to this since an Israeli was onboard.

So can radical leftists, who are already spouting theories that Bush engineered this disaster so he could attract sympathy and give a speech to improve his popularity:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/du ... 32785.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/du ... 32783.html

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-02-01 12:26pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: So can radical leftists, who are already spouting theories that Bush engineered this disaster so he could attract sympathy and give a speech to improve his popularity:

Ah yes. Dickheads Underground, AKA Michael Moore Nutball central.....

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-02-01 12:32pm

MKSheppard wrote:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/ ... ?page=1,50

One of the most heartbreaking threads I've ever seen....

*******

Space Shuttle Columbia Will Be Visible In San Francisco Area (6AM Pacific)
nasa

Posted on 02/01/2003 5:38 AM PST by leadpenny

Space Shuttle Columbia is in a decent for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will pass over the San Francisco Area around 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Route will take the Shuttle over Las Vegas, Flagstaff, etc. NASA has still not decided which runway will be used. Landing will be at 9:16 AM Eastern.

************

and it progressively gets worse

Words fail me...

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-02-01 12:33pm

MKSheppard wrote:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/ ... ?page=1,50

One of the most heartbreaking threads I've ever seen....

*******

Space Shuttle Columbia Will Be Visible In San Francisco Area (6AM Pacific)
nasa

Posted on 02/01/2003 5:38 AM PST by leadpenny

Space Shuttle Columbia is in a decent for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will pass over the San Francisco Area around 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Route will take the Shuttle over Las Vegas, Flagstaff, etc. NASA has still not decided which runway will be used. Landing will be at 9:16 AM Eastern.

************

and it progressively gets worse

...sigh...

I feel sorry for those folks..

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-02-01 12:44pm

I think its eerie that these things happen on these days..

Apollo fire: Jan 27th
Challenger explosion: Jan 28th
Columbia destruction: February 1st

I think NASA will be wary of launching flights between jan and feb.

Strafe · Post by **Strafe** » 2003-02-01 12:48pm

One can only hope this doesn't break America's desire for manned space programs...the last thing I want is for NASA to effectively go into mothballs for it's manned programs.

Would the insulation falling off the tank during launch do enough damage? How large a piece hit the shuttle?

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-02-01 12:48pm

MKSheppard wrote:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/ ... ?page=1,50

One of the most heartbreaking threads I've ever seen....

*******

Space Shuttle Columbia Will Be Visible In San Francisco Area (6AM Pacific)
nasa

Posted on 02/01/2003 5:38 AM PST by leadpenny

Space Shuttle Columbia is in a decent for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will pass over the San Francisco Area around 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Route will take the Shuttle over Las Vegas, Flagstaff, etc. NASA has still not decided which runway will be used. Landing will be at 9:16 AM Eastern.

************

and it progressively gets worse

Quite chilling to read the progression, into. Thank you for posting it as a reminder, whilst we're all here getting caught up in the ramifications.

David · Post by **David** » 2003-02-01 12:54pm

Observers have said it was one of the best missions they have ever seen as far as conditions go.

NBC~ " We have reason to believe that human body parts have been found."

It blew up right over where I live, but I was asleep when it happened.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-02-01 12:54pm

Senator Kay Bailey of texas beleives NASA needs to start making new spaceships to replace the shuttles and that we MUST stay in space no matter what. Atleast someone in government is on our side.

Strafe · Post by **Strafe** » 2003-02-01 12:58pm

kojikun wrote:Senator Kay Bailey of texas beleives NASA needs to start making new spaceships to replace the shuttles and that we MUST stay in space no matter what. Atleast someone in government is on our side.

Unfortunately how many aren't can be just as important. And I have a feeling that it'll be quite high.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-02-01 01:02pm

Strafe wrote:
kojikun wrote:Senator Kay Bailey of texas beleives NASA needs to start making new spaceships to replace the shuttles and that we MUST stay in space no matter what. Atleast someone in government is on our side.
Unfortunately how many aren't can be just as important. And I have a feeling that it'll be quite high.

It'll probably be less than you think. But I think grilling NASA and everyone else as to how this could happen, no matter how long it takes, is entirely appropriate. We've lost 2 out of 5 shuttles now. We need answers as how stuff like this happens.

SAMAS · Post by **SAMAS** » 2003-02-01 01:02pm

This is just wrong. I walked into the den this morning to make a run for some water, and my mom told me what happened. Right now, they're showing the shuttle breaking up. My first thought was: "Oh shit, not the Columbia!"

Reading the thread on freerepublic has only made it worse. I remember being sick at my grandmother's house when Challenger went up.

It's time for a revision. I still believe that mankind's best hope is to get off this rock, and those calling for the grounding of the Space Program should be shot in the nuts with a BB gun. Every frontier requires a sacrifice, and people are going to die. Don't waste that by giving up.

R.I.P. Colombia and Crew.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-02-01 01:05pm

Stormbringer wrote:
Strafe wrote:
kojikun wrote:Senator Kay Bailey of texas beleives NASA needs to start making new spaceships to replace the shuttles and that we MUST stay in space no matter what. Atleast someone in government is on our side.
Unfortunately how many aren't can be just as important. And I have a feeling that it'll be quite high.
It'll probably be less than you think. But I think grilling NASA and everyone else as to how this could happen, no matter how long it takes, is entirely appropriate. We've lost 2 out of 5 shuttles now. We need answers as how stuff like this happens.

Still, there have been over a 100 missions with two losses. That's better then most any other space booster. Of course when most other boosters crash or explode on launch no one dies.

Strafe · Post by **Strafe** » 2003-02-01 01:10pm

Stormbringer wrote:
Strafe wrote:
kojikun wrote:Senator Kay Bailey of texas beleives NASA needs to start making new spaceships to replace the shuttles and that we MUST stay in space no matter what. Atleast someone in government is on our side.
Unfortunately how many aren't can be just as important. And I have a feeling that it'll be quite high.
It'll probably be less than you think. But I think grilling NASA and everyone else as to how this could happen, no matter how long it takes, is entirely appropriate. We've lost 2 out of 5 shuttles now. We need answers as how stuff like this happens.

Indeed. But I mean that although the number of reps and senators against NASA may be low, the ones against it may be on important subcommittees and committees that have great sway over funding related to NASA.

I guess we'll have to see how Bush responds. If he seems intent on keeping things alive, then all is good. If he pulls the plug then looks like Mars 2010 is gonna be pushed off for a good long while.

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2003-02-01 01:11pm

Shep beat me to posting the picture of the flag at half-mast, there's another image of that up at Drudge Report.

Truly a tragic day: I haven't put the news on at all because I just can't face the idea of watching Columbia disintegrate. I remember the first launch, and then Challenger exploding 17 years ago (the 28th was the anniversary, incidently.) What strikes me as saddest about the whole thing is that the deaths of these 7 people are going to be exploited to try and put an end to the space program.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-02-01 01:29pm

Were I the President, I would now increase NASA funding and push for nuclear rockets to Mars. The shuttles have done all they can do- as we once moved from one-use rockets to shuttles, now it is time to go from shuttles to nuclear-powered craft.

R.I.P Columbia and Crew

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-02-01 01:35pm

Holy $hit. When they lost Columbia it was traveling at Mach 18. There was NO chance of escape from the shuttle.

ReinnResauq · Post by **ReinnResauq** » 2003-02-01 01:48pm

It was horrible to flip on the tv just as I wake up and see more flames in the air. I'm sick of tragedies. 9/11 was less than a year and a half ago and here we are again. Doesn't fate have a sense of fairness?

Everyone in the next couple of days will be coming up with a multitude of conclusions, from the rational "stress fractures" to the combative "terrorism, let's counter attack" to the extreme "the craft had discovered alien life and they shot it down." I just hope none of them give up our chance for what is perhaps the greatest line of discovery since the boat.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-02-01 01:54pm

Today, I think I'll pay respects to the astronauts who died with this shirt. It's the best thing I can think to wear in honor of those intrepid individuals who lost their lives in the pursuit of exploring beyond our pale blue dot.

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2003-02-01 01:54pm

The shuttle program is basically dead at this point. It will have to be grounded for an investigation but that will take so long (years) that there will be no point in reactivating the fleet afterwards.

There is a very real risk that the space age is now over. The only replacement on-offer (a mini-Shuttle launched on an ELV) is decades away and NASA should lack the public confidence of the US government to be given the money to build a replacement. The ISS can't keep operating--and certainly can't be completed--in the absense of the shuttle for a prolonged period. The station may need to be abandonded.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-02-01 02:03pm

I have a feeling the US space program will fall behind now. CSA and ESA will now take the reigns of space exploration and colonization. Looks like spacers will need to learn chinese.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-02-01 02:03pm

*******

Space Shuttle Columbia Will Be Visible In San Francisco Area (6AM Pacific)
nasa

Posted on 02/01/2003 5:38 AM PST by leadpenny

Space Shuttle Columbia is in a decent for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will pass over the San Francisco Area around 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Route will take the Shuttle over Las Vegas, Flagstaff, etc. NASA has still not decided which runway will be used. Landing will be at 9:16 AM Eastern.

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I did not realize the shuttle passed over us. Is it possible to see it at that point? I guess it is moot anyway, there is 100% cloud cover where I am.

I went to grocery store to grab some breakfast and most people are wearing a sad face here. You dont need to ask why.