Shuttle Contact LOST-No Tracking Data During RE-Entry!

Nasa TV | 02/01/03 | GRRRR

[GRRRRR]

Shuttle has NOT been heard from or seen on tracking radar since 0800Hrs CDT. No contact at Merrit Island tracking station, no voice comm...DEVELOPING.

[JimRed]

It's just a darn shame that the US taxpayers wouldn't spring for the CRV [Crew Rescue Vehicle].

The US taxpayers had nothing to do with it. Since social programs get more votes than space technology, blame it on the politicians who put re-election above all else.

[DoughtyOne]

'

On behalf of posters on Free Republic, I post this with deepest sympathy for the crew and their families.

Mission - sts107

[Rebelbase]

"either they did it and they have a "spectacular" victory over the U.S."

Damn, the Jihadists have a missle capable of hitting a target going 12,500 mph, at 200,000 feet.

We're doomed.

[hole_n_one]

[Rockitz]

All it had to do was knock off one tile.

Actually, a well placed tile might do it, but the shuttle typically loses some tiles during flight. If the tile were lost on one of the control surfaces (wings) and especially a leading edge of a wing then all bets are off. I'm sure the entire aerospace community will be doing CFD analyses for the next year in an effort to determine what kind of damage requires repair on-orbit for a safe reentry. Future flights will carry repair kits to fix such damage on-orbit.

[MadIvan]

What I find incredible is that apparently no one can say how long the shuttles were intended to last in the first place.

Regards, Ivan

[operation clinton cleanup]

How is the crew of the Space Station Freedom (or Alpha, as algore named it) going to get home?

[Publius6961]

This is the crew which went up.
Any word if any stayed on the space station and others coming back home?

[Semper Paratus]

Haaretz is reporting that the Isreali astronaut's family have been taken to a secure location.

[ThinkingMan]

debris cloud?

[The South Park Republican]

The voice transcripts from the Challenger event have not been released to the public at the request of the families.

I remember hearing reports that the astronauts on the Challenger were alive when they hit he water. (Buttons pushed and other stuff that could have only been done by someone AFTER they survived the explosion). All of that was suppressed from the public. I always thought that was odd.

[txradioguy]

Well at least what ever happened, happened so fast that they never felt it.


That copy of a DU post was SICK!!! Let's hope that someone at DU has the intestinal fortitude to ban that idiot.

I don't know which is worse, that DU post or knowing that somewhere in Gaza there are people dancing in the streets just like on 9/11.


17 years and 4 days after the Challenger. My prayers go out to their families.

[SunnyUsa]

Thank you for the picture of the crew....

My tears have been flowing all morning, all the painful memories of 17 years ago returned.

My prayers for them and their families... :(((

[snopercod]

Don't blame the people.

Why not? They are never even interested in the space program until there is an accident. The media didn't even cover the Challenger launch until they found out it had blown up.

[rintense]

What the hell is going on? I just logged onto FR. Can someone summarize what's happening?????

[DoughtyOne]

Interesting question. I afraid I don't know the answer.

[JohnHuang2]

This is so heartbreaking!

Heartbreaking indeed, W4T. Everybody here is just stunned, speechless in disbelief.

[ijcr]

The history of flight is the history of a dream,:-human-kind’s dream to soar through the sky like a bird.

This dream is filled with failure and set backs.
Since the 1900's would-be aeronauts have constructed and tested a wide variety of flying machines, often resulting in death or injury as they plummeted to earth.

When Air Alaska Flt 261 fell into the sea with 88 passengers on board.Did we call for for new MD 80's despite the age of the aircraft?

The shuttle is the best monitored space vehicle we have ever
produced and no doubt the cause of the break up will be eventually revealed.

Tragically, while I mourn the loss of life, it is the price we pay for progress and our dreams of conquering the stars.

We must not lose sight of the goal when we encounter a failure.We must not cease this noble quest.

[MadIvan]

Terrible. Israel's mood had apparently been cheered by Colonel Ramon's flight. Now they'll be plunged into sadness.

Regards, Ivan

[GOPyouth]

Damn, the Jihadists have a missle capable of hitting a target going 12,500 mph, at 200,000 feet.

Don't know if there was sarcasm in that, but I highly doubt there was any way a thug-nation missile would hit that.