Debris Photos (GRAPHIC)

Yahoo News photos ^ | 2/2/03 | freepers

[Mark Felton]

[Your attention please. This thread has generated a ton of abuse reports. Some have been from long established freepers. Others have been from relative newbies. Some have been complaining about the thread. Others have been complaining about the complainers.

Throw on top of it the fact that some of the newbies who showed up on this thread happen to be returning bannees, who before being banned were friendly with some of the very people they are bickering with here, and something is striking us as just not right.

If you are interested in the debris photos, this is the thread for it. If not, don't join in this thread. It is not disrespectful to those who died to post pictures of the debris in our opinion. What they show and where they landed may help piece together what killed these brave people.

If you feel that is the wrong decision, we apologize and mean no harm. But please, no more arguing about it on the thread, and no more abuse reports on the matter.

Thanks, AM.]

Sun Feb 2, 1:14 AM ET

Fires, believed started by debris from the downed space shuttle Columbia, burn in an area near Dallas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Seven astronauts perished when the shuttle broke to pieces as it re-entered the atmosphere at the end of a 16-day mission. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

Sat Feb 1, 9:31 PM ET

A video image of a helmet that dropped into a yard in Norwood Community, Texas from the space shuttle Columbia is seen Feb. 1, 2002. Many parts of the shuttle, along with human remains, were found in the area. NASA (news - web sites) officials later removed the helmet. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)

Sat Feb 1,10:35 PM ET

A small brush fire started by a falling piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia outside Athens, Texas after the shuttle broke apart during re-entry over Texas on its way to a scheduled landing in Fla., Feb. 1, 2003. Authorities have not speculated on the cause of the crash. (Jeff Mitchell/Reuters)

Sat Feb 1, 9:31 PM ET

A piece of debris believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia is photographed near Lufkin, Texas, Feb. 1, 2003. NASA (news - web sites) lost contact with the shuttle at around 9 a.m., about 16 minutes before its scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center (news - web sites). (Reuters)

Sat Feb 1, 9:15 PM ET

Goldie Hamilton looks at a piece of debris that dropped into her yard in Alto, Texas from the space shuttle Columbia February 1, 2003. Many parts of the shuttle along with human remains were found in the area. Hamilton lives in the house in the background. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Sat Feb 1, 9:18 PM ET

A piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia dropped into this yard in Alto, Texas, February 1, 2003. Debris from space shuttle Columbia rained down onto fields, highways and a cemetery in Texas on Saturday, sending dozens of residents to hospitals after they handled the smoldering metal wreckage. All seven astronauts on board were killed in the break-up, which scattered potentially toxic debris across a 120-mile (190-km-long) swath of eastern Texas. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Sat Feb 1, 7:43 PM ET

Stan Melasky, left, and his brother Steve Melasky look over a piece of debris, believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia, that fell on their farm near Douglass, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Sat Feb 1, 8:52 PM ET

An Anderson County sheriff's deputy walks past a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia outside Palestine, Texas after the shuttle broke apart during reentry over East Texas on its way to a scheduled landing in Florida, February 1, 2003. Shaken NASA (news - web sites) officials vowed to find out what caused the space shuttle Columbia to break up, saying they would look closely at the impact of a piece of foam insulation that struck the orbiter's left wing at takeoff. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell

Sat Feb 1, 7:25 PM ET

A piece of space shuttle debris sits on the ground outside Bronson, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Space shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames 200,000 feet over Texas on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts just minutes before they were to glide to a landing in Florida. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sat Feb 1, 7:29 PM ET

Searchers mark a small piece of debris while looking for remnants of the space shuttle outside Bronson, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Space shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames 200,000 feet over Texas on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts just minutes before they were to glide to a landing in Florida. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sun Feb 2,10:11 AM ET

Resident Bugs Arriola looks at a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003 in Nacogdoches, Texas. People have been told not to touch any of the debris as there could be toxic chemicals on the material. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Sat Feb 1, 7:41 PM ET

Vollunteer firefigher John Berry looks out at small piece of debris believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia in a rural area north of Palestine, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. The shuttle broke apart in flames over Texas on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts just minutes before they were to glide to a landing in Florida. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Sat Feb 1, 9:23 PM ET

A couple looks at a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia that dropped onto the highway in Alto, Texas February 1, 2003. Debris fromColumbia rained down onto fields, highways and a cemetery in Texas on Saturday, sending dozens of residents to hospitals after they handled the smoldering metal wreckage. All seven astronauts on board were killed in the break-up, which scattered potentially toxic debris across a 120-mile (190-km-long) swath of eastern Texas. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

[Howlin]

Is that drifting northeast?

[Howlin]

From another photo, different angle:

Astronaut Mark Kelly, right, carries a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia as he and fellow astronaut Greg Johnson

[kms61]

That would be a Coast Guard helicopter.

[Lady Jag]

Debris from the space shuttle Columbia streaks across the sky over Tyler, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Tyler Morning Telegraph, Dr. Scott Lieberman)

[Lady Jag]

Tiffany Barney, 19, of Friendswood, Texas, places flowers at the entrance of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, in Clear Lake, Texas. (AP Photo)

[Lady Jag]

A piece of charred cloth, possibly debris from the space shuttle Columbia, lies along U.S. Highway 84, west of Rusk, Texas. (HERB NYGREN JR./TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH)

[Mark Felton]

The poisons will be contained with some cells and may not have leaked out until the debris has significantly slow down (no longer at "burn" kinds of speeds.

Also, some materials give off toxic fumes and resins when heated. Paints, glues, special rubbers, plastics, fuel cell material may leave acids, alkali, or other types of dangerous residues.

[Lady Jag]

A charred piece debris believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia lies on the patio of a home in Nacogdoches, Texas. (AP)

[mommadooo3]

You mean the SUNFLOWER is OURS??????

Whoooweee. You ARE a genius! Betcha didn't know that the 'face' of a sunflower will follow the Son/sun throughout the day.

There are now seven faces facing the Son...following Him.

In our family we 'give' a sunflower to our loved ones who have gone Home. Their faces behold the Son.

[amom]

Is that drifting northeast?

Appears so.

[virgil]

Thanks for the video. It looks like ice to me and it turned to water when it got close to the flame. It also looks like it may have fell on SRB too. They retrieve those and re-use them, right? Maybe they should look at those.

[Lady Jag]

A marked piece of what is believed debris from the space shuttle Columbia, lies on the ground in Alto, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Longview News-Journal, Les Hassell)

[michigander]

Slideshows of images here, here, here.

[Vermont Lt]

Perhaps someone can answer a question. If this stuff fell from 200,000+ feet, how come it just comes to rest? How come it doesn't drill into the ground. Some of this stuff looks pretty substantial, yet it looks like it just fell from ten feet or so.

By the way...I think looking at this stuff is fine. Yeah, I'd rather not see the human remains, but doesnt look much worse than stuff I've seen after car wrecks. Yes, when you consider people lost their lives it takes on a more solemn tone, but overall these are not that "graphic."

[Lady Jag]

Thank you. I'm looking for a very large piece of debris I saw on TV yesterday and can't find it anywhere. It was about the size of a small car. Meanwhile I'm posting anything new I find.

[nmh]

The Admin Moderator has already deleted a series of posts like yours complaining about this thread. Stop complaining and DO NOT CLICK ON THE THREAD if you do not wish to see photos of the debris recovery effort.

I also have a First Amendment right and I excercis is accordingly. Just because someone tries to negate criticism of morbid fascinantion of debris in their title matters not to me. It doesn't excuse the poor taste in gloating over a tragedy. THAT is inexcusable.

We are US taxpayers. We have a right to view public photos available widely on the web from news organizations on the cleanup effort. You have a right not to click on this thread.

Being a taxpayer has nothing to do with MORBID entertainment. Yes, I know some taxpayers are pedaphiles too, yet that also is wrong for different reasons. I puroposely clicked on this thread to sober people up and remind them of what is the decent thing to do - honor the dead and not the debris.
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This thread simply gathers photos from news organizations regarding the cleanup and centralizes them in one place. If you don't like it....do not click on the thread.

Who cares WHERE the photos are from. Huslter has photos of women, websites have photos of sadism - according to your logic they should be postable as well. You truly have no bounds of decency.

[Mark Felton]

Could be. If you look real close a soild piece comes out beneath the wing (very faint).

It took me several views before I caught that solid piece coming out the bottom. In other words it looks a bit like the solid piece came in from the top, glanced off the wing and continued straight down, while the vapor spray was ejected out at an angle off to one side.

Then again the vapor may have been the water from the ice and the hard object coming out the bottom may have been a tile.

It's a shame that the little camera that was a novelty a couple of flights ago wasn't installed. It was attached to the fuel tank looking down at the shuttle.

[NCLaw441]

I lived in France (in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques region) in 1980-81, during the end of the hostage crisis in Iran, the election and subsequent assassination attempt on President Reagan. The French, by and large, admire and respect America and Americans, and the older French remain thankful for the U.S. for saving them in WWI and WWII. The French government and many dissident factions are envious of America and what we have accomplished as well as the FACT that American assistance was required to rescue them twice in the last century. I am ashamed of the positions of France and Germany as we seek their support regarding Iraq, but I suspect that most of the French people support us.

[nmh]

HONOR THE PEOPLE NOT THE DEBRIS.

we are honoring the people.....unfortunately they are not with us anymore. All we have left is the debris.

I don't equate debris with people. These were fine people. The parts of Columbia in no way shape or form represents these honorable men and women. It is all that is left of Columbia but photos and memories of these fine people is what lives on; not what carried them to space.

Putting flowers or a flag next to a piece of metal which once held our friends, family, countrymen, and heros is all we can do. Posting pictures of people guarding over all we have left is a way to share the caring and compassion that brings people together.

Metal is metal. It doesn't represent these fine people. If you saw that same piece of metal in a junkyard you'd wouldn't be able to distinguish it from other "debris". To honor these folks, post pictures of them of biographical information. It's much more fascinating and respectful than gawking over debris. It's simply hideous to venerate debris and ignore the individuals who perished.

[Mark Felton]

Some of the stuff is pretty light and wide with a fairly low terminal velocity (the maximum speed it will free fall)

Here is a tile on the roof of a house.