Space Shuttle Columbia lost?

[Nifft]

I'm queasy with sadness. Those poor men & women.

-- Nifft

 

[Aitch Eye]

CBS news just had a correspondant on who was talking about some damage to the shuttle that occurred while it was in orbit. NASA decided not to alter the re-entry procedures because they believed that the damage was minimal.

CNN had been showing clips of the launch where what appeared to be some of the foam insulation fell off and hit the (IIRC) leading edge of the wing. They didn't think it was a problem, but engineers started focusing on it after the breakup simply because they had nothing else.

Could the damage your referring to been a miscommunication of this, or was it clearly something different?

 

[Zhure]

"High Flight"

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

 

[cthuluftaghn]

Space Shuttle Columbia... Fair Winds and Following Seas... God Bless You.

I'm sitting here in Central Florida, 30 years old and crying like a baby. Just like back in '86. The Space Program has always been a very big deal to me, and I've been to Kennedy for several launches. It's a dark day, for sure.

 

[megamania]

My thoughts are with them. From what I have seen thus far, it was not a terrorist act. 39+ miles up and going mach6 makes it highly highly unlikely. Early guests involve reentry thrusters going wrong....horribly wrong.

My current concern is the debris field. I prey it dosen't strike a heavily settled area especially hearing about the toxic gas that may be there.

 

[thatdarncat]

Could the damage your referring to been a miscommunication of this, or was it clearly something different?

That's what I've understood them to mean. Something fell off the tower? and struck the leading edge of one wing on launch.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

This is a tragedy.

My condolences to the families of the astronauts and the NASA personnel.

 

[thatdarncat]

Nasa is going to have a news confrence in about 25 minutes (11:30am EST)

 

[orbitalfreak]

Fox News has just reported that the flag at the mission clock at Cape Canaveral has been lowered to half-staff.
Apparently, the official word is now that all hands were lost.

 

[Sidereal Knight]

CNN had been showing clips of the launch where what appeared to be some of the foam insulation fell off and hit the (IIRC) leading edge of the wing. They didn't think it was a problem, but engineers started focusing on it after the breakup simply because they had nothing else.

Could the damage your referring to been a miscommunication of this, or was it clearly something different?

I believe you are correct.