Mission control lost contact with the shuttle at 9 am and they don't know what happened to it. Hopefully everyone is ok but it doesn't look good.

holy shit ulfie

i thought you were joking

shit I hope everone is ok

It was last seen over Texas POSSIBLY losing Multiple peices/parts as it enterd the atmosphere

Mission control has issused a Emergency procedures

and told people in TX if they see any debris to stay away from it

This is BADDD :(

Space shuttle Columbia definitely broke up at about 200,000 ft as it was passing over Dallas. Who knows what happened; but survivors are very unlikely.

http://robots.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/0...g.ap/index.html

oh lord, not again.

this is horrible
no words to describe it



http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?si...lang=e&dir=news

here's the terrorist theory already ...

Apparently it was too far up to be attacked by terrorists. Something went wrong. Really wrong. :(

The Challenger disaster had such an impact on my life. My mother was a science teacher and applied to be the teacher in space, I can rember her filling out the forms. Then, I was the first kid in school to know. I was in the nurse's office and it was on the radio. I went back to my class, 3rd grade, and told the teacher and he called me a liar in front of the class. It is my 'remember where you were' moment from my childhood.

I hope it was quick and the no one on the ground was hurt.

Holy Shit.

This sucks to wake up to.

I cant believe they are investigating into possible terrorist activity in this..

Seeing as how it was 200,000 feet in the air travelling at 6 times the speed of sound a terrorist attack is unlikely but I'm sure all angles will be investigated.

A terribly sad day for the US and all the families of the astronauts. So many good things have come from the space program I hope people don't use this as a rallying cry to defund it.

Wow.. cannot belive it...

So close to us in New Orleans and from looking at some of the reports pieces could be all over.

That REALLY pisses me off...NASA fucks up AGAIN and they actually want to throw around the evil terrorist theory....fucking ridiculous.....

That REALLY pisses me off...NASA fucks up AGAIN and they actually want to throw around the evil terrorist theory....fucking ridiculous.....[/b][/quote]
I've not seen NASA saying ANYTHING about terrorist activity.There's a press conference from NASA due in a few minutes.

I've not seen NASA saying ANYTHING about terrorist activity.There's a press conference from NASA due in a few minutes.[/b][/quote]
oops, I posted that incorrectly....the article I read had the proverbial "terrorist theory" afterthought.....the fact that they even had to mention it bugged me...I guess it was to soothe the CNN addicts who think everytime something blows up, a bad arab man was responsible ;))

sorry, was my anti-NASA bent showing through again? ;)

Yeah it happened right over us.
There was a huge thud and the windows shook.
I went outside cause I thought maybe a house blew up or something.
I saw the smoke trail go over....I had no idea what it was, I thought it was a comet or something, totally surreal.

Very sad...they are finding parts all over the area and all of east texas.



Last edited by Shok at Feb 1 2003, 11:50 AM

I think it's early to jump to a "NASA fuckup" theory too ... this is a real tragedy, obviously for the families of the crews and for the U.S., Israel, and India.

But you know, in any endeavor that "pushes the envelope", people get hurt. When men began exploring the sea, when men began going under the sea, and when people began to fly unanticipated things happend. What's amazing to me is that, with the complexity of the systems required to challenge space, so few have died. I don't mean to come across as indifferent or caviler, but falible man can't foresee every possibility ... these things will happen in spite of the herculean efforts we have made and will continue to make to prevent them.

Meanwhile, my personal conspiracy therory is to blame Elvis and Richard Nixon.

Sykkboy, the worst part of the "terrorist theories" is that it is proof that the terrorists have in fact obtained the most significant victory that they can get - they one that makes everyone look over their shoulders each time something happens.

That it is a mission with the first israeli astronaught is just double food for the mill.

Sept 11th was the day life in America changed forever. It takes a tragedy like this to make it show clearly.

:( :cryin:

Alex

I'm not downplaying the tragedy at all, but I get upset when I read passages like this:

"On Jan. 16, shortly after Columbia lifted off, a piece of insulating foam on its external fuel tank came off and was believed to have hit the left wing of the shuttle. Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard."

Man Voodoo you are right this is a fucked thing to wake up to :(


My thoughts go out to the families of those brave people who died today... people do not realize that traveling through space is STILL a very dangerous mission. Astronauts are indeed heros - they are very brave.

Of course I would go up tommorow if they let me.

The stuff about terrorist is to me more driven by the news speculation, which is something you will always get with 24 hours news stations looking for anything to speculate and have talking heads blab on and on.


:cryin:

It's like I told a friend of mine this AM when we first saw it break on the TV - as callous as it sounds, these people died doing what they wanted to be doing. Probably what they wanted to do from the time they were little kids. We're all going to die and I'd rather go doing something I love than die being out of my mind and spreading my own feces on the walls (not that I don't enjoy spreading my own feces on the walls...... :groucho: )

It's the people they leave behind that you feel so sorry for :( My thoughts are with their friends and families during this time. The ones that died, I feel thankful for as if it weren't for their bravery, and those like them, we'd not know many of the things we know in science and space.

Hopefully this won't hinder the space program. More people will die in car accidents in GA in the next week than died today in the sky.

I know what you are saying, and that's been kicking around in the back of my mind too. However, I'm not sure they had an option to abort once the shuttle was on its way. I'm sure all that will be analyzed to the nth degree in the days and months to come.

Peaches I think you are right, these people died in a high risk field, working for a great cause and a great Nation. They will be remembered forever as heros!

A moment of silence for our fallen heros


























May their Gods bless them and their families



Last edited by Vick at Feb 1 2003, 02:48 PM

I fly a starship across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again..

Yup, I agree, astronauts are a rare breed.

As a science junkie, I, too, hope this doesn't affect the space program, but NASA has had so many problems and have suffered from bloat. I'm excited about the prospects of things like colonizing on the moon (or Mars). I love the idea that we're exploring space, but I also think the agency handling it should be under more of a microscope and pay closer attention.

I remember the challenger shuttle explosion in 1986. I was in chemistry class and we were discussing the launch (if I remember correctly, it was delayed a few days) and I remember the stunned silence that came across the room when there was an announcement about it from someone bursting into the room.

Absolutely a tragedy, but PD I tend to follow your line of thinking -- it's been nothing short of either a miracle or a testimony to modern science that fatalities don't occur more often. I'd be thrilled to go up, it would have to be so completely fascinating and intriguing...

interestingly enough, I was outside way up the hill on the island last week and you could see the space station glowing in the sky like a star. I remember sitting there talking about and just pondering the whole thing.

You take the right seat, I'll take the left. :D I'd go in a minute, knowing the risks.

The terrorist theories are going to happen regardless, and conspiracy theories would have developed even without 9/11, CNN, MSNBC or any of the rest of it. Some folks are just paranoid, or stupid.

Somebody on GFY had posted a link to a news article indicating an Iraqi response of glee (Allah's revenvge, I guess).

This is a severe tragedy, and i mourn for the families of the fallen heros.

But i am with mike, i would go up tomorrow if given the opportunity, the reach into space is possibly the most important world goal outside of peace. this is a major setback, i only hope that the world bounces back.

Yup, I agree, astronauts are a rare breed.

As a science junkie, I, too, hope this doesn't affect the space program, but NASA has had so many problems and have suffered from bloat. I'm excited about the prospects of things like colonizing on the moon (or Mars). I love the idea that we're exploring space, but I also think the agency handling it should be under more of a microscope and pay closer attention.

I remember the challenger shuttle explosion in 1986. I was in chemistry class and we were discussing the launch (if I remember correctly, it was delayed a few days) and I remember the stunned silence that came across the room when there was an announcement about it from someone bursting into the room.[/b][/quote]
I was just recalling that day on the phone with my GF. i was in fifth grade.

worldwide reactions


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77285,00.html

"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live in the real world."

- Mary Shafer, SR-71 Flying Qualities Lead Engineer, NASA Dryden

Israeli astronaut bombed Iraqi reactor
Col. Ilan Ramon was air force fighter pilot in Osiraq raid

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?...RTICLE_ID=30821

Brave guy, who helped the US!