Boba Rhett Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Or at least that's what has all but been confirmed. The shuttle is missing and people have filmed debree falling out of the sky. I don't really have anymore news about it yet. I'll keep this updated. My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of the seven astronauts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dath Maximus Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 *runs and turns tv to news channel* i hope its not the space shuttle burning up. /edit its gotta be them, they've not had contact for an hour. and the bad part is, its just been 17 years since challenger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegietto Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 i feel sorry for the families of them and my prays go out to them too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCanr2d2 Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 With CNN, BBC Wolrd and SKY news covering here in Australia, and NASA declaring a Shuttle Contingency, as well as stating a complete loss of contact, both via radio and by any tracking means at 1400 GMT of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Multiple vapour trails have been spotted over Texas, and local residents who are used to the noise of the re-entry of the Shuttle said the noise was well out of the ordinary. By a sad coincidence, a Israeli Air Force member was on board, and amonst the areas where debris is meant to fall is Palestine in Texas.... They have ruled out a missile hitting the shuttle, due to the height that it was, 200,000 feet (40 miles) or approx 63 km's from the earth's surface. Ruling out that it was any kind of terrorist attack. There had been an investigation into a piece of ice or debris falling from the large fuel tank during take off. They had already looked at this, both via cloes up film of the event, and via telescope whilst the vehicle was in space, and believed everything to be fine. The loss of tiles from the actual Shuttle is not new, and has landed missing tiles before. The only real threat is if it unseated more than the tile that it dislodged, and caused many to come away during the heat of re-entry. At the moment, with what is known, this is not meant to have contributed to the event. Although Shuttle Experts on CNN and BBC World have stated that it is most likely that the piece of ice may has dislodged a piece of tile that allowed too much heat into what is essentially the same kind of airframe as a commercial air liner. The frame is made of aluminium, and if the heat of re-entry was exposed to this frame, it would soon start to fail under the heat. George W. Bush is being informed Columbia was the Grandfather of the fleet, constructed in 1979, and flew it's first mission in 1981. To us Australians, and many school children around the world, there were spiders on board for scientific study by students here in Australia. Luckily the woman who had trained with the teacher Christine MacCaullef (sp?) as a contingency on the doomed Shuttle mission in 1986 was due on one of the next Shuttle flights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 It's always sad to hear of such cotastrophies. I send my prayers to the families of the shuttle, and I hope that we can figure out what caused the accident so it can be prevented in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegietto Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 yes we need to know how it happen so we can prervent it from ever happening again i mean the families will need alot of support rite now cause it is hard to adjust from sometrhing like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemme w/Stick Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I feel sorry for the families of the seven astronaughts..! I'm glad that I'm not a member of any of those families. I couldnt imagine that my father had been blown up by a shuttle explosion ! -Clemme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clem Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 thats tragic ... the shuttles were doing so well at making space travel almost routine my condolences are added to everyone elses and goto the families Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vagabond Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Oh man, I just flipped to CNN.com and saw the news. All I could say to my wife was, "Oh no...oh no...not again...oh no..." The sadness I feel is beyond mere words to describe. My heart goes out to the astronauts' families. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I just saw it on the news... the strange part is that it happened upon re-entry. It is most likely a sign that the Shuttles are getting older and are now accident prone. My heart extends to the families involved. I think we are definetely going to see changes done to the fleet and possibly even a whole new fleet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reborn Outcast Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Yes its very sad indeed. You can read what they know so far here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt-Liell Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 How said, it makes me so mad when this happens. To the families, I am so sorry and all my deepest condolences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCanr2d2 Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Not that strange, if you take into account that a piece of ice falling from the large external fuel tank did appear to strike the wing of the Shuttle. Engineers did investigate this, mainly through the viewing of the footage taken that was closely zoomed on the Shuttle. Not sure, with all the stuff that they have said on all the three channels I am trying to watch, but they may have also used telescopes to look at it as well. I think it is a given that one tile did fall off during take off, and current expert opinion is that this one tile allowed a leak of heat into the aluminium frame of the shuttle, which caused it to break up. One tile falling off the Shuttle is not new, since every mission has returned with at least one missing, it maybe that this one was in a critical position. Or that when the tile was dislodged it loosened others as well, which also came off on re-entry.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace_sundancer Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 just goes to prove space travel is NOT routine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegietto Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 space travel isn't safe i thnk it very dangerous u could never get me to do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova_wolf Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 To the families of the brave crew of the NASA shuttle Columbia I send my heart felt condolensenses. To crew any vessel that goes to the extremes of our planet's enviroment (ie - subs or space craft) takes guts. They knew the risks, but still took the opportuniuty presented to them. Any of us would do the same if the chance was there. For a few, it does end in a way we hoped never would, but they will be heros for what they have accomplished. And to the shuttle Columbia herself, as much a part of the program, as much a person, with memories and foibles and able to give pleasure - you did well ol' girl. Now watch over the next generation for us, when we are unable to , and keep them safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jed Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I just heard about this tradegy.... My thoughts and prayers go out to the families, and that all of this gets figured out. *lowers make-believe flag to half mast* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kstar__2 Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 i feel so wierd, i know absolutely nothing about the challenger, and it is all so far away from me, and i see all you being miserable (wrong word, i know) and i don't really know why:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leXX Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I am deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy. I have tears in my eyes as I type this. I just watched the pictures of it breaking up on Sky News. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the brave astronaughts who were killed today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RpTheHotrod Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I live in Texas, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklighter Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Omg:(I can't believe it. Right now I feel so sorry for the families of the atronauts. Can't imagine what it must be like for them now:cry6: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greedo626 Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I'm not old enough to remeber Challenger (I was a few months old at the time) but I've seen shows on it. Just a few days ago I saw an interview with the astronauts on Columbia . This is really tragic for Irael, being that the first Israeli to travel to space was on Columbia:( . Any time something like this happens, it's really sad:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reborn Outcast Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Originally posted by kstar__2 i feel so wierd, i know absolutely nothing about the challenger, and it is all so far away from me, and i see all you being miserable (wrong word, i know) and i don't really know why:( Because these men and women took a very brave chance and were almost home to see their families and then the suttle blows up. They were all very brave people and should be honored greatly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCanr2d2 Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Coincidentally, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986.... RIP - Crew of STS-107, upon Space Shuttle Columbia They boldy went where so few have gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel_Spy Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Today is another sad day in history. Today I'm not in the mood for anything, this things only remember me that we are just a bright blue spot into the vast dark sea called universe. Carl Sagan says one day that: "It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." Those seven guys understand it well. To the families of the astronauts, my deepest condolence and all my prayers to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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