Clues, but no evidence, suggest Columbia's end began over West / STS-107

Sac Bee ^ | 2/13/03 | AP - Houston

[NormsRevenge]

SPACE CENTER, Houston -- Investigators into the space shuttle disaster still believe important clues might be found in west Texas and points even farther West -- even though no debris has yet been found.

The reason for their faith in the absence of evidence is a wealth of credible photographs, video recordings and eyewitness reports from California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. More than 1,500 photographs and videos of Columbia's re-entry have poured in to NASA.

[bribriagain]

btt

[G-Bear]

Even if pieces were coming off the Shuttle over California,
at that height and speed, would they have made it to the
ground? Or burnt up?

[tubebender]

Even if pieces were coming off the Shuttle over California, at that height and speed, would they have made it to the ground? Or burnt

I would like the answer myself. I read yesterday that the Forest Service has alerted it's field crews in the Ca counties under the flight path to be on the lookout for pieces. Fat chance as those counties are the higher elevations of the Sierras including Yosemite. I can't remember them all but I think Amador and Calavaris were a couple.

[WSGilcrest]

A related thread I posted this morning.

[b4its2late]

Even if pieces were coming off the Shuttle over California, at that height and speed, would they have made it to the ground? Or burnt up?

My question exactly. Real small pieces of space junk and other natural debris burns up when it's hitting the beginning atmosphere.....

[PatriotGames]

Even if pieces were coming off the Shuttle over California,
at that height and speed, would they have made it to the
ground? Or burnt up?

I would think that it would depend upon the size and composition of the object as to whether or not it would make it to the ground or burn up.

When the shuttle was over California it was faster and higher than when it got to Texas. On the other hand, the atmosphere was less dense at the higher altitude so it would be anyone's guess as to whether or not any objects would survive or not.

[jlogajan]

Even if pieces were coming off the Shuttle over California, at that height and speed, would they have made it to the ground? Or burnt up?

Well, the most important things coming off the shuttle would be the tiles, and no, they wouldn't burn up.

[Walkingfeather]

Yea they would make it. the reason none have been recovered is the vast desolate terrain of the seirra's and the desert.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

It is an awful lot of territory to search for what are probably pretty small pieces. Needle in a haystack would actually be an easier project.

[Yeti]

I would think that at that height and speed even if they didn't burn up, they wouldn't land in California, unless the shuttle was travelling legthwise over the state. I would expect to find them one or two states over, if at all.

[tahiti]

"The shuttle and its seven-member crew continued gliding toward a planned touchdown in Florida even after the sensors had blinked out one by one."

What is the author implying with the composition of this sentence?

That there was a deliberate act to ignore the "sensors (that) had blinked out one by one" needlessly putting the shuttle in peril?

That there is and was an opportunity to "prevent" the disaster by not continuing with the re-entry?

Something to think about.