[hispanarepublicana]

Admitting that I know very little about these missiles that are being launched, and that I know very little about Space Shuttle & its trajectories, descent patterns, etc., is there any chance the N. Koreans would try to mess with the shuttle's return to the atmosphere?

[Moose4]

The missiles being fired are all surface-to-surface missiles. The Nodongs (or Rodongs) are uprated versions of the semi-famous Scud; I don't know what kind of guidance they have, if any, but they're considered short-range (under 1,000 miles). The Taepodong-2 is a very different animal. It's basically a guided ICBM, with a range of several thousand miles. One can assume it's capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, since there's not much use in putting a conventional warhead on a missile that can hit western Alaska from North Korea.

So I don't think there's a threat to the shuttle here.

}:-)4

[AmericanInTokyo]

They would have almost no technical capability to do that. However, one thing they COULD do is launch a Taepodong-2 multi-stage missile from Hwadae County, at nearly the same time the Space Shuttle Discovery is coming back to earth landing, i.e. they will know those trajectories and times in advance (must know it already due to NASA press kits on the return flight path of the Shuttle and expected date). Then, depending on whether we go to Edwards AFB (due to weather) or the Cape, the Norkies could launch another missile at the approximate time of return of the Shuttle (16 July). It would be something like 9:50 p.m. North Korea time on 16 July. They are capable of night launches.

Again, the DPRK not intending nor having any realistic capability to actually directly hit, or close collision or endanger a Shuttle, but being able to create a huge media stink with their timing, and a mindset in the drama department, (which is why they launched on 4 July a few minutes away from the Shuttle launch)--this is possible. Kim Jong il is a movie director, a creator of secenarios. Nobody can predict what is in his brain, but I think this could be one of his scenarios the week after next.

What I suspect they are doing is now readying another Taepodong-2 launch for the day the Shuttle returns mid-month, yes.

[SengirV]

You can't be serious. There is ZERO chance. You'd have a better chance bringing down a 747 with a BB gun a mile or two away from an airport than they would have hitting the POS shuttle.

[Ragnar54]

It wouldn't make sense, but Kim Jong il is insane. Dictators are often incapable of understanding basic science (they deal in fear, not logic). It is possible that some NK "scientists" are being told to bring down the shuttle.