NASA: 'Significant' Wing Part Found / STS-107

Yahoo! News ^ | 2/7/03 | Jamie Stengle - AP

[dd5339]

The news media that I heard reporting this said that it had been found in Fort Worth. Trust the media to screw something up.

Semper Fi

[F-117A]

The NASA spokesman said, the other day, that each tile is numbered. So, they should be able to tell exactly where they came from.

[tahiti]

"...two people were charged with stealing government property..."

How can you steal government property when first, the government exists only from the agreed consent of the sovereign citizens, second, the debris fell onto their property, and third, the "government property" was originally paid for by the sovereign's collected taxes?

[cdefreese]

I guess that means anyone can walk up, and take a tank, perhaps an apache helicopter, heck, my taxes paid for it, gimme a Stealth fighter.

[shadowman99]

These parts where involved with an air disaster, so by Federal law they are to be impounded pending an investigation.

Second, out of common decency you should consider the Columbia is the tomb of seven people. The USS Arizona is worthy of a certain level of repect. So is Columbia. The parts deserve more than to be a centerpiece on a somebody's fireplace mantle.

[lepton]

I would hope they would ask where the pieces were found.

As for this piece of the wing, a picture I saw earlier showed it coming down on a wooden fence-post, and bent over the wires. Pretty good sized piece, with lots of tile fragments.

[Paleo Conservative]

How can you steal government property when first, the government exists only from the agreed consent of the sovereign citizens, second, the debris fell onto their property, and third, the "government property" was originally paid for by the sovereign's collected taxes?

Easy they are taking a piece of property of which they own 0.0000001% What about the rights of the other tax payers who paid the other 99.9999999% for that piece of the shuttle? As a taxpayer don't I have a right to know why the shuttle Columbia was destroyed?

[Johnny Gage]

heck, my taxes paid for it, gimme a Stealth fighter.

I'll take one of these... and maybe some time over Iraq while we're at it. LOL!

[aristeides]

On Wednesday, two people were charged with stealing government property — a circuit board and thermal insulating fabric from the shuttle that they had found. They could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

How can the government possibly prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the people knew that these parts were government property?

[hopespringseternal]

How can the government possibly prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the people knew that these parts were government property?

The ebay auction they had saying "Columbia debris - starting at only 9999.99" would probably be a good start.

[Kay Soze]

I get Yosemite!

[Poohbah]

Oh, you WOULD have to engage TWO neurons' worth of brain...

[renosathug]

"...though it wasn't clear which side of the shuttle it had be on"

Where be the copy editor?

[Lancey Howard]

[Paleo Conservative]

The ebay auction they had saying "Columbia debris - starting at only 9999.99" would probably be a good start.

Either they are selling debris from Columbia, or they are committing wire fraud. Either one will send the perpetrator to Leavenworth.

[mombonn]

Debris crews found a large section of wing from the space shuttle Columbia that includes the wing's leading edge, though it wasn't clear which side of the shuttle it had be on

I must be really dumb, because it seems to me that it should be easy to identify a right wing from a left wing just by the shape. What am I missing?

[Politically Correct]

I must be really dumb, because it seems to me that it should be easy to identify a right wing from a left wing just by the shape. What am I missing?

It's a fragment, it's twisted, mangled and burnt. They will eventually figure out which wing it's from but with just a cursory look it's probably not obvious.

[mombonn]

Thanks for the explanation.

[Hoplite]

It's a fragment, it's twisted, mangled and burnt.

Sounds pretty left wing to me. = )