Posted on 02/02/2003 6:29:45 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
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| A fast-moving vapor, flashes of light and a series of explosions erupting across East Texas signaled the abrupt end of space shuttle Columbia moments before it was scheduled to land in Florida. Six Americans and one Israeli astronaut died when the craft exploded over Dallas, peppering East Texas and portions of Louisiana with debris and bits of wreckage, NASA officials reported. Area emergency personnel spent Saturday conducting a 500-mile search for debris, which is being collected as evidence and secured for what will likely be a lengthy federal investigation into the cause of the crash. By late afternoon, authorities located what they believe to be charred body parts strewn about a debris field in Sabine and San Augustine counties. Many in the shuttle's pathway glimpsed its last moments, but few realized the magnitude of the sighting until around 9 a.m. when Mission Control reported losing contact. Throughout the world, there was stunned disbelief as eyes rested on East Texas.
TRAGEDY GLIMPSED As the shuttle passed overhead, most people were going about their business. Some glanced up, unaware of the unfolding disaster overhead. In Jacksonville, Radio Shack employees were getting ready to open when they glimpsed the vapor trail and last moments of the shuttle's journey. "There was a big trail of smoke and a big flash of light and then several loud booms ... just boom - boom - boom - boom - boom," said Randall Sandifer. "I heard five of them and then saw a lot of blackish-gray smoke." Radio Shack manager William Foreman said he initially suspected a downed aircraft. "I heard several consecutive loud booms, probably two miles away," Foreman said. "We turned on the scanners and heard it was the Columbia - we felt pretty bad." Tyler veterinarian Dr. Steve Wilson was making his way to work when he, too, paused to stare at the speeding line of smoke. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and glimpsed what he would later learn was the end of the voyage. "It was a terrible thing to see," he said, describing a flash of light, smoke and "tremendous rumble" about three minutes later. "When I heard that, I knew it wasn't good," he said quietly. Self-proclaimed space buff Dr. Scott Lieberman, a Tyler cardiologist, was waiting outside with a digital camera when the shuttle roared overhead. Seeing several balls of light instead of the customary one, he snapped eight photos and went inside to watch the landing on TV. It never came. His image was loaned to the Tyler Courier-Times--Telegraph and later sold to The Associated Press, which distributed the photo worldwide. "I'm feeling kind of weird right now," he said, gazing at the image. "I've been following the space program since I was 14 - it's really devastating." Other residents hearing the rumbling overhead began phoning 911 and media outlets in search of information, officials said. Windows rattled, dogs howled. Suzy Falgout, who lives in Huntington, south of Lufkin, was sleeping in when she was awakening by sounds she could not identify. "The noise was horrendous and it just wouldn't stop," she said. "It was louder than anything we've ever heard." Moments later, she said a monstrous dust storm began to build. "The horses were all spooked," she said. "The air was filled with dust and smoke - there was a horrible smell. I followed the space program growing up. It was a very eerie feeling." Farther to the northeast, 22 shooters in the northern area of Panola County, south of Carthage, were preparing to compete in a match when they observed what appeared to be a fast-moving vapor trail. "We were standing on a clear 600-yard rifle range looking to the west," said Richard Schulz of Longview. "We saw a smoke trail and then different colored glows, like flares." Shooter Robert Langham of Tyler said he was watching for the shuttle on the way to the match, but did not initially suspect the glow in the horizon was anything other than a downed satellite. "It disappeared behind the trees and then we started hearing these sonic booms," Langham said. "Then we got the call it was the Columbia - it was a real downer."
EMERGENCY RESPONSE Falling debris was reported most heavily throughout the area near Nacogdoches and stretched from Interstate 45 to the Louisiana border. Emergency operations centers were opened throughout the area to await instructions from federal authorities. "Debris has been confirmed in Smith County," said Sheriff J.B. Smith. "So far, most of the debris was apparently found near San Augustine. The state has been placed on alert." Many scoured for souvenirs of the deadly crash, in spite of warnings of possible chemical contamination. Federal authorities announced late Saturday they would aggressively prosecute anyone found moving, concealing, withholding or possessing any piece of the shuttle, officials said. All evidence collected from the crash was being collected and sent to Anderson County for storage. Overhead, F-16s from Barksdale Air Force Base searched the area for debris. Civil air personnel remained on standby. "There is a no-fly zone established right now that stretches from Tyler, Palestine and Nacogdoches in a triangular area," said John DeNoyelles, lieutenant colonel with the Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol. "Military and federal aircraft in those areas are conducting searches." There are an estimated 10,000 Civil Air Patrol members statewide; 200 of those are in Smith County, officials said. Authorities from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana sent response teams to Tyler to support emergency personnel in the retrieval of debris. Two teams schooled in explosive ordinance disposal, security forces, fire, contracting, legal and public affairs were among those responding, officials said. Air Force officials said the base is preparing to receive 100 additional safety investigation team members from NASA, scheduled to arrive Sunday. On the ground, authorities responded to several reports of possible debris. Roads were closed near an area off Jim Hogg Road after a suspected piece of debris was located. Authorities cordoned off the area and awaited the arrival of federal investigators. At Azleway Boys Ranch, officials discussed the best way to retrieve a piece of suspected wreckage that splashed down into a pond. "Every piece is critical," said Maj. Mike Lusk, Smith County Sheriff's Office. "We are doing our best to facility this federal investigation." To aid in those efforts, investigators with the Smith County District Attorney's Office joined law enforcement in Smith and Cherokee counties to track down reports of debris and suspicious objects. "This was a horrible disaster," said Matt Bingham, chief felony prosecutor. "We felt like the sheriff's office could use our assistance in the recovery efforts." In Tyler, personnel from the FBI, police and fire departments cordoned off an area on Raintree Drive after receiving a report of suspected shuttle debris. Authorities said a man scooped up a 4-inch by 8-inch piece of wreckage in Nacogdoches and transported it to his parents' home in Tyler, apparently unaware that it was possibly hazardous. "They were scared he had exposed himself to toxic chemicals," said firefighter Ron Bogenschutz, a member of the TFD hazardous materials unit. "The FBI collected it, bagged it and placed it into evidence." The man was advised to take a 20-minute shower and double-launder his clothing as a safety precaution. Others sought aid at area hospitals. Jacque Hilburn covers police, fire, and public safety organizations. She can be reached at 903.596.6282. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com |
| ©Tyler Morning Telegraph 2003 |
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| COLLECTING REMNANTS: Astronauts Greg Johnson (left) and Mark Kelly leave a home Saturday near Nacogdoches with what is presumed to be a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia. (Staff Photo By D.J. Peters) |
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LOST SHUTTLE MEMBER |
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| Like most in Eastern Texas, Tylerite Billie Ruether tried to phone her son after hearing of the space shuttle explosion. Only her call was more desperate than others. Her child is a NASA astronaut. Ruether had no luck reaching son James Reilly II in Houston, realizing he must be a part of the team searching for colleague and friend Michael Anderson. Instead, she sat and watched the television news, finding out the explosion she heard during her early morning walk signaled the death of people so close to Reilly. "It was just a real shock, something that you really don't expect to happen," Ruether said. "Things have been going so well." In fact, such a tragedy hadn't struck the program since 1986, some nine years before Reilly fulfilled his dream of becoming a part of the space program. Reilly got a bachelor's, master's and doctorate from the University of Texas at Dallas in geosciences before being recruited by NASA. He made his first adventure into space with Anderson in 1998 on the Endeavor mission with Space Station Mir, Ruether said. She holds dear the memories from that trip, when she and Anderson met before take-off. Ruether described Anderson as an enlightened man, outgoing and easy to talk to. She still has a videotape of him playing with Jell-O bubbles on the shuttle, she said. "Like Jim they had pursued a career and had managed to get what they were after," Ruether said. "It was something they had longed for and tried for and achieved." The elite group of men and women fulfilling the desire to go up in space is small and very close knit. And, they understand well the danger of pursuing space travel, she said. Reilly never talked to his parents specifically about those hazards, but Ruether recalls him speaking before an audience of students about the chance of an astronaut being involved in an accident as about 1 in 248 versus 1 in 2,000 for the average person. He was scheduled for another mission in October, a trip likely not to occur now because of the tragedy, Ruether said. When Reilly gets ready to go up again, his mother won't allow the dangers to overly concern her, she said. "I will be concerned, but I won't be negative about it," Ruether said. "Accidents happen everywhere and we just never know when or why." Angela Macias covers federal courts and state politics. She can be reached at 903.596.6291. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com |
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