[HAL9000]

Although a missile attack can almost be ruled out as a possibility, there are other forms of terrorism that must be considered.

Sabotage, a malicious attack on the computer systems that control reentry, or a flaw in the software are unlikely possibilities, but must still be investigated.

[Joe 6-pack]

I agree that there are no overt signs of terrorism at this time, but just to be safe, I think we should start bombing Iraq, just in case...

[Commander8]

All possibilities should be explored, frankly I don't think terrorism is involved because security at NASA(especially after Black Tuesday) is very tight.

[cynicalman]

I don't know. It was over Texas. How far from the grassy knoll? That is the high ground. Maybe enough for a hand held rocket to reach it.

[CharlotteVRWC]

See following excerpt from msn.com website (http://msnbc.com/news/857733.asp?0cv=CA00#BODY)

"Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official told NBC’s Miklaszewski that a heat spike appeared on military satellite data around the time shuttle was re-entering. The readings would be examined to see if they correlate to the shuttle’s breakup. The highly sensitive infrared satellite, known as the DSP, originally was developed to detect the heat spike of Soviet intercontinental missile launches. It also has been used to detect the heat signature of oil fires, volcanic eruptions and the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. "

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

Very, very unlikely. The fact that there was an Israeli on board would have caused the normal security levels to be tripled, at the very least.

The shuttle was so high and moving so fast, that we could not have shot it down ourselves, had we wanted to...stateless terrorists shooting it down is entirely impossible.

As for radio or computer tampering, that would leave fairly obvious evidence which would be found.

That leaves the option of putting a bomb on board or otherwise sabotaging the shuttle on the ground before takeoff, which is also extremely unlikely, but cannot be entirely ruled out before an investigation. One would think, though, that had there be sabotage, it would have destroyed the Shuttle on takeoff or in space, not on reentry.

[stevem]

I think flying into and out of space is still dangerous work and will be for some time in the future. And, we haven't even crossed paths with the Romulans yet...or the Borg.

[LibWhacker]

Have to lean toward accidental breakup. A missile is almost out of the question. However, the U.S. isn't the only country doing laser research and I wouldn't put it past N. Korea or one of the Arab states to take a pot shot at our shuttle.

[PhiKapMom]

Would expect this to be treated like an Air Force Accident Investigation where nothing is ruled out except the obvious like the missle being fired at the shuttle which was a no brainer when I first heard that one.

My guess is that everything will be gone over including the last overhaul at the factory with a fine tooth comb! Personally I hope they call in the AF Accident Investigators because I think they are much better than the NTSB. Just my opinion!

[humblegunner]

Somebody better bloody well hope not.

[Bobby777]

there's gonna be some crazy stuff posted on the web ... I can imagine a site or two that will involve who-knows-what?

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

STATEMENT:"No Hint of Terrorism In Shuttle Tragedy"

RESPONSE: Given today's newspeak this means sabotage should be considered as a possibility.

[dark_lord]

Let's see here. If I understand some events that occurred here:
(1) A piece of debris (tank insulation) hit the wing on launch.
(2) There was no external space walk and skin inspection on this flight.
(3) They lost telemetry sensor data on from the same wing shortly before the casualty.

Before jumping on terrorism as the cause, I suggest it may just be that a bunch of tiles got loosened, on reentry they came off, and the wing started to combust at that spot, and the damage spread until the wing failed and the shuttle tumbled.

[river rat]

It would not be difficult to sabotage the Shuttle...and to have an event as we saw today..

Reenty generates extreme heat on the Nose and leading edges of the wings... These surfaces are protected by unique heat resistant tiles..

These tiles are bonded to the surfaces they protect.
An act that weakens the bond line sufficiently to allow reentry stress/heat to "pop" it away from the surface -- could expose the surface to sufficient heat on reentry to initiate burning and disintegration of the vehicle...

In addition....any "accidental" or unintended damage to enough tiles could possibly have the same effect.


Semper Fi

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

Agreed. The software could have been tampered with, and considering that compromise that gave the Chinese access to our launch codes, anything is possible.

I think that probably it was mechanical failure, but the effort but forward to RULE OUT terrorists make it seem suspious, none the less.

[Cicero]

It's a bit insulting to the intelligence and courage of Americans that they have to keep running this sort of meaningless guff to "reassure" people.

Obviously the shuttle wasn't shot down. And the odds are probably 100-1 or better that it wasn't sabotaged, either. But the latter can't be ruled out until a full investigation has been made. If we have spies in our most secret nuclear facilities, it's not beyond possibility that we have sleeper agents or malevolent persons connected with the shuttle program.

[ramdalesh]

There is a lot of debris in space. Leftover junk from satellites, screws, bolts, chunks of metal etc. all travelling incredibly fast. Something like 50,000 kilometers per hour. The kinetic energy of colliding with a 2 centimeter ball bearing that is in orbit around the Earth is the same as colliding with a 1 ton automobile at 60 miles per hour. This is perhaps the biggest hazard in space. A fleck of paint from an old rocket could kill an astronaut. NASA uses a telescope designed to locate and chart projectiles in space, and it is possible to anticipate where their coming from based on these charts, and past history of where rockets and satellites are located. It is a rather large surface area, significantly bigger than the earth's surface, but still we don't know much about collisions which spread this debris all over the orbital surface. Defense against space debris is based in Norad,(the underground military base in Colorado), who alerts the shuttle crews when they are near a danger zone.
NASA takes special precautions to shield the astronauts, and essential spaceship components from projectiles and debris. An astronaut in a space walk is as vulnerable as a soldier on a battlefield. And what's more, A small projectile could destroy sattelight, rocket, or space shuttle.
By changing the flight attitude while in orbit it is possible to minimize potential damage from a collision, and to protect an astronaut who is working outside. The odds of collision are pretty low, but the destructive power can be devastating.
It is possible that the shuttle collided with space debris upon re-entry. The combination of heat, and increased velocity of the shuttle, and a collision with a screw or a large bolt travelling at 50,000 km/hr would probably be enough to cause the explosion.

[HAL9000]

A thought concerning Boeing...

[Jennifer in Florida]

Columbia's 28th trip into space begins at 10:39 a.m. EST on Jan. 16 blasting off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

[drron]

S. Launches Second Scud for Anti-Missile Research

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, California (AP) -- The U.S. military launched a Scud missile Monday to obtain data for use in developing missile defense systems.

The missile lifted off from a mobile launcher, reached an altitude of 281,000 feet (84,300 meters) and traveled 186 miles (300 kilometers) before it fell into the Pacific Ocean, Missile Defense Agency spokesman Chris Taylor said. The test was conducted to obtain flight data, and did not involve an intercept attempt, he said.

It was the military's second launch this month of a Scud, a ballistic missile that was developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and is now in the arsenals of at least 25 nations, including Iraq.

The launch was part of a $13 million program to help develop an advanced version of the Patriot anti-missile system and other defense technologies, officials said.

The Patriot was put to the test during the 1991 Gulf War, when Iraq fired about 90 Scuds. Forty-three landed in Saudi Arabia and 39 in Israel. One hit a U.S. barracks in Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers. A congressional report found that Patriots downed only four Scuds.

The Scud is difficult to hit because it wobbles wildly in flight.

A Call for Planetary Defense

The final report of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, released last week, calls for the Department of Defense (DoD) to take on the role of planetary defense.

The Commission noted that the U.S. Air Force is looking into use of satellites for detecting and tracking human-made satellites in Earth orbit. That effort should be broadened, the study group advised, to include detection of asteroids.

Given Air Force study and other military space reviews underway, "planetary defense should be assigned to the DoD in cooperation with NASA," the report states.

"The day will arrive when an asteroid is discovered on a collision course with Earth. The more we know about their orbit and structure, the more effective we can be in attempting to deflect it from harm's way," the Commission report concludes.

-- L