Shuttle explodes Over Texas

USA TODAY ^ | 2/01/03 | AP

[kattracks]

CAPE CANAVERAL (AP)

[Jalapeno]

what are the emergency procedures at that time in the landing....is there some way they could of ejected?

[GailA]

Not according to the guy I'm listening to on Fox news. This is the flight the Isreali is on isn't it?

[Double Tap]

Pieces are dropping across southeast Texas. My brother in law is a Houston Fire Department Captain has reported several calls of pieces in the Houston area.

[Menkenspiel]

Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, had assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard.

Needless to say, that opinion is going to be second-guessed...

[Jalapeno]

There must of been some plan, although this may have been at the most vulnerable moment...

[Free_at_last_-2001]

This is the flight the Isreali is on isn't it? - yes

[11B3]

Jesus.

[kattracks]

NASA Warns of Possible Shuttle Debris in Texas
Sat February 1, 2003 09:57 AM ET
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - The U.S. space agency NASA lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia minutes before its scheduled landing on Saturday and said there could be debris in Texas from the orbiter.

Television images showed several white trails in the blue sky, which could be an indication of the breakup of the shuttle because normally only a single trail is visible.

NASA said it scrambled rescue units to search in Texas for the shuttle and its seven astronauts, which included the first Israeli astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramonan Israeli.

The agency lost contact at around 9 a.m., about 16 minutes before its scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center.

Columbia is NASA's oldest shuttle and first flew in 1981. This is the most serious incident involving a shuttle since the 1986 crash of the space shuttle Challenger, which carried seven astronauts.

[BrooklynGOP]

I won't be surprised if arab terrorists claim responsibility (I am not saying they did it. But when Kursk sunk, Chechens tried to claim responsibility saying that their people sabotaged it).

[GailA]

He said he was verbally urging such a plan. BUT it is not now available.

[Maigrey]

Prayers for the families and those touched by this.

Sheesh, I'm sick!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

The shuttle was carrying the first Israeli astronaut and six Americans, and authorities had feared it would be a terrorist target.

I believe that they were correct.

[Michael81Dus]

The first Israeli in space and then that!
Our prayers are with the families and friends of the crew!
It´s a tragedy!! May our Father in Heaven welcome his believers.

[Mr. Mulliner]

I think you're right. So much hatred in them will at least cause some stupid celebrations in the middle east.

[SF Geo]

No ejection likely at 12,500 mph.

Lets see how the muslim world reacts. Are they part of the human race or not? If Saddy says its great an Israeli died let's not way til March to get him.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

First indication of breakup.

[holymoly]

They were reportedly travelling at approx. 14,000 mph, and were at approx. 200,000 ft. in altitude. No one would survive ejection under those circumstances, unless the craft contained some type of ejection "pod," which the shuttles do not. Remember, the shuttle is 1970s technology.

[Michael81Dus]

The news bring tears to my eyes, I cannot believe it. How much misery have the United States and Israel have to suffer?

[kattracks]

Shuttle, crew lost

By Irene Brown
UPI Science News
From the Science & Technology Desk
Published 2/1/2003 9:49 AM
View printer-friendly version

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Space shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew, including Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon, were lost upon return to Earth Saturday following a 16-day space research mission.

Observers in Houston who could see the shuttle as it flew overhead enroute to the Kennedy Space Center in Houston reported debris falling from the sky.

"It looked just like the Mir breakup," said Stephen Clark, a contributor to spaceflightnow.com.

Ground control teams in Houston lost tracking and radio contact with the shuttle at 9 a.m. ET.

"Contingency procedures are in effect," said commentator James Hartsfield.

Under tight security, shuttle Columbia lifted off on Jan. 16. In addition to Ramon, the crew included commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, flight engineer Kalpana Chawla, payload commander Michael Anderson and astronauts David Brown and Laurel Clark.

Rescue teams have been alerted in the central Houston area and residents have been warned not to touch any debris, which could contain toxic substances.

The mission was the first of six planned for this year, with the remainder of the flights devoted to space station assembly.

The loss of the shuttle and the crew comes 17 years after the Challenger accident, which claimed the lives of seven astronauts, including teacher in space Christa McAuliffe. The woman who trained alongside McAuliffe and served as her backup was to fly on Columbia's next mission this November.

There has been no determination what caused Columbia to fall from the sky.