Shuttle Contact LOST-No Tracking Data During RE-Entry!

Nasa TV | 02/01/03 | GRRRR

[GRRRRR]

Shuttle has NOT been heard from or seen on tracking radar since 0800Hrs CDT. No contact at Merrit Island tracking station, no voice comm...DEVELOPING.

[Morrigan]

Then again, some groups have a higher concentration of idiots than other groups.

[LoneGOPinCT]

Was this previously reported? or just now being speculated?

It was reported and commented on upon launch. I believe it was the launch engineer who said that it should pose any problems during the flight.

[syriacus]

Palestine (IL) Preservation Projects Society

[ppaul]

[B]ut what are the odds that the space shuttle would break up over a town called Palistine, in the home state of our president, with the first Israeli pilot on board?

Just coincidence?

What do you think?

[DoughtyOne]

'

On behalf of posters on Free Republic, I post this with deepest sympathy for the crew and their families.

Mission - sts107

[MissAmericanPie]

My cousin in Weatherford said there was a terrible explosion, the dogs began to bark, and the cows were afraid. A gas line had exploded before and she thought it had happened again, as the gas line runs through her place she ran outside to see if this was the case.

She found nothing and went inside and tuned on the television about 20 mins later and understood what she had heard.

[Prince Charles]

Godspeed, Columbia. May the Lord pour forth his spirit on the crew's families.

[Indy Pendance]

Thanks for posting these.

[Northern Yankee]

Vey sad day.

God bless those poor souls.

[Movemout]

"No. The shuttle as originally designed was an engineering marvel. Jimmy Carter cut the budget and they had to build of aluminum instead of titanium and them use ceramic tiles to protect the aluminum from re entry heat. The design, as built is an overweight Kludge. An obsolete one. "

I stand by my statement. The shuttle development budget was about half of what was requested. The result was still a marvelous space faring machine. It could have been better but that would have been no guarantee against catastrophic failure. People have been lulled into warm fuzzies by the endless parade of successes but the truth is that traveling to and from low earth orbit is a difficult thing to accomplish. If it were easy there would be a plethora of international manned systems. I excuse your ignorance, meaning lack of understanding, and ask that you not comment on that which you do not understand.

[CELTICGAEL (Celt)]

witness on cnn said he saw a plane next to shuttle

[primeval patriot]

I'm in Van Zandt County about 100 miles East of Dallas.

At 0800 I heard about five seconds of deep rolling booms that shook the house.

Didn't see anything.

[OReilly]

Kemp Texas eye witness says he saw a plane near the shuttle as the shuttle came over...

[kristinn]

Go back to your TV and take your insulting attitude with you, please. We're in mourning.

[Publius6961]

The answer is no.
Once re-entry is begun there's no going back.
Every shuttle landing is a deadstick landing.

One try is all they get

[Indy Pendance]

A plane going 12,500 miles per hour? Doubt it.

[OReilly]

200,000 feet is still a long way... from any normal plane.

[Republic of Texas]

The noise was so loud it sounded like it was right on my roof. Woke me up.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

We heard it, too. My husband made me mute the TV, asking "What is THAT?" It was a rumble that lasted about 15 seconds and he decided it was a train, but I don't recall ever hearing that before. Gives me chills.

I live in south Louisiana, app. 300 miles from Dallas, and that's exactly what I heard too. Hard to describe what it sounded like, but it was definitely loud.