[The Wizard]

may the Good Lord Bless and Keep Them

[DBrow]

Thought I'd share this:

Fire in the Sky
Prometheus, they say, brought God's fire down to man.
And we've caught it, tamed it, trained it since our history began.
Now we're going back to heaven just to look him in the eye
And there's a thunder 'cross the land, and a fire in the sky.

Gagarin was the first, back in nineteen sixty-one,
When like Icarus, undaunted, he climbed to reach the sun.
And he knew he might not make it, for it's never hard to die.
But he lifted off the pad and rode a fire in the sky.

Yet a higher goal was calling, and we vowed we'd reach it soon.
And we gave ourselves a decade to put fire on the moon.
And Apollo told the world, we can do it if we try:
And there was one small step, and a fire in the sky.

Bridge:

I dreamed last night of a little boy's first spaceflight,
Turned into me, watching a black and white TV.
There was a fire in the sky, I'll remember until I die.
A fire in the sky...a fire in the sky!

Then two decades from Gagarin, twenty years to the day.
Came a shuttle named Columbia, to open up the way.
And they said she's just a truck, but she's a truck that's aiming high.
See her big jets burning, see her fire in the sky.

Yet the Gods do not give lightly of the powers they have made.
And with Challenger and seven, once again the price is paid.
Though a nation watched her falling, yet a world could only cry.
As they passed from us to glory, riding fire in the sky.

Now, the rest is up to us, and there's a future to be won.
We must turn our faces outward, we will do what must be done.
For no cradle lasts forever, every bird must learn to fly---
And we're going to the stars, see our fire in the sky.

Yes, we're going to the stars, see our fire in the sky!
There's a fire in the sky, I'll remember until I die.
A fire in the sky, a fire in the sky!

mp3 fo fthis is at http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2475/2475506.html

Music and lyrics by Jordin Kare, Bridge by Kristoph Klover.

One of my favorite space songs, so full of hope.

[Light Speed]

Coverage of Mission STS-107 STS-107 STATUS REPORT 34 Last Updated: 08:20 a.m., 02/01/03 (all times Eastern)

Here is a detailed timeline of today's entry activities (in EST):

Orbit.........255
dT............02:38 (deorbit burn duration)
dV............176 mph (change in velocity)
Freefall......35:47 (time to discernible atmosphere)
Range to KSC..5,113 sm
Crossrange....Left-14 sm (distance from normal ground track)
Turn..........Right-213 degrees
Runway........33

TIME..........EVENT

05:45:00 AM...Mission control 'go' for OPS-3 entry software load
05:55:00 AM...OPS-3 transition
06:20:00 AM...Entry switchlist verification
06:30:00 AM...Deorbit maneuver update
06:35:00 AM...Crew entry review
06:50:00 AM...Commander/pilot don entry suits
07:07:00 AM...Navigation system (IMU) alignment
07:15:00 AM...Commander/pilot strap in; others don suits
07:32:00 AM...Shuttle steering check
07:35:00 AM...APU hydraulic power system prestart
07:42:00 AM...Toilet deactivation
07:50:00 AM...Payload bay vent doors closed for entry
07:55:00 AM...Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
08:01:00 AM...Astronaut seat ingress
08:10:00 AM...Single APU start
08:12:34 AM...TDRS-West comsat acquisition of signal
08:15:18 AM...Deorbit ignition
08:17:56 AM...Deorbit burn complete
08:43:53 AM...Shuttle hits discernible atmosphere
08:49:26 AM...23-degree right roll command
08:56:15 AM...63-degree roll reversal
09:09:29 AM...Velocity less than mach 2.5
09:11:38 AM...Velocity less than mach 1
09:12:39 AM...Shuttle turns to line up on runway
09:15:50 AM...Landing on runway 33

The Columbia astronauts closed the shuttle's payload bay doors around 5:45 a.m., preparing the ship for re-entry and landing back at the Kennedy Space Center to close out a 16-day science mission. Forecasters are keeping close tabs on area fog and lower-than-expected clouds, but conditions are expected to improve as the morning wears on and flight controllers are optimistic about an on-time landing. "We've just been watching the weather at the Cape," astronaut Charles Hobaugh radioed from mission control. "This morning when we got in it looked pretty gruesome. There was some fog and low layers. The T-38 has already done its first weather (observation run) and the weather has improved greatly. ... We're expecting those patches of thin layers to clear up as the sun comes up." Flying upside down and backward over the Indian Ocean, commander Rick Husband and William "Willie" McCool plan to fire Columbia's twin orbital maneuvering system braking rockets at 8:15:18 a.m. to begin the hourlong descent to Earth. The rocket firing will last for two minutes and 38 seconds, slowing the shuttle by 176 mph and dropping the far side of its orbit deep into the atmosphere. Following that new trajectory, Columbia will fall for 35 minutes and 47 seconds before entering the discernible atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean around 8:45 a.m. Range to touchdown at that point will be 5,113 miles. Columbia's flight path will carry it over the coast of California near San Francisco at 8:55 a.m. EST (5:55 a.m. PST), an hour before sunrise. Weather permitting, early risers may be treated to a spectacular sky show as the space shuttle streaks across the predawn sky. Husband will take over manual control of the spacecraft 50,000 feet above the Kennedy Space Center, guiding the ship through a sweeping 213-degree right-overhead turn to line up on runway 33. At touchdown, Columbia's seven-member crew will have completed 255 full orbits and traveled 6.6 million miles since blastoff Jan. 16 from nearby pad 39A.

[habaes corpussel]

My prayers go out to all the family members....

[Timesink]

HOUSTON (AP) First indication of trouble on shuttle was loss of temperature sensors in hydraulic system of left wing, NASA official says.

[SteveH]

Columbia Discussion thread (another good thread)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/833957/posts

[LowOiL]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3205211710&category=413

Now people (scum) are trying to sell pieces of the shuttle on Ebay...

LowOiL

[eno_]

This is a vastly premature conclusion, but I'd bet anyone a beer the final answer is close to this:

The shuttle crew died from a lack of thinking outside the box.

When debris was seen striking the leading edge of a wing, the mission should have been modified to check for damage.

Because the shuttle itself had no capability to check for damage - no robot arm and no EVA capability outside the payload bay - the whole issue of looking for tile damage was deemed outside of consideration.

This is, in my opinion, the first fatal mistake. If the mission had been modified to visit the ISS, it is possible an external examination of the wing could have been made, like a high-res photo or video image taken from the ISS.

Ah, but what if damage was found? There is no capability to repair tiles in space. So, by NASA's thinking, an examination would have been useless. This, I believe is the second fatal mistake. There are plenty of supplies on the ISS, and it will soon be resupplied by a Progress mission. The shuttle can be landed automatically, repaired on the ground if the landing succeeds, and the crew retrieved on another shuttle mission. If the probability of a successful landing was calculated to be too low to risk flying over the U.S., I think there are alternative landing sites that would have taken the shuttle over an ocean on the way to the landing site.

In short, I think NASA treated the shuttle mission in a vacuum, without considering the ISS, the Russian Progress and Soyuz capabilities, etc. They decided to stay inside the lines and say to themselves "The die is cast."

A stop at the ISS might have vindicated a number of concepts, not least the idea of a space station itself, the flexibility of a space-plane like the shuttle, etc. Instead, conventional thinking and a timid approach funneled events into a disaster.

[DoughtyOne]

Here is a screen saver I made this morning.  It is sized 800x600 and 1024x768.
Right click down download for 800 x 600.
Left click, then right click download for 1024x768.

[B-Chan]

[yoe]

We are at the end of this tragic day and all ready the pundits are talking about things they know little about and what will happen to NASA. If these people would just stop and think for once - we have a Space Station up there that can't be ignored for more than a few months. We have men on it, in other words, the project (s) must go on and another shuttle must be built ASAP.

Write your congressmen to support any immediate program to start building another shuttle, we cannot wait for the endless rounds of partisan bickering; some needless social programs will just have to be shelved and the money put to use for a new shuttle.

[nowings]

My sincere respect and prayers go out to the families..

Let's greive briefly and then move forward like AMERICANS...

[P.O.E.]

"He mourns that day so soon has glided by:
E'en like the passage of an angel's tear
That falls through the clear ether silently"

- John Keats

[3catsanadog]

I just got home from work. I watched what I could till I had to leave at 1:00 for a meeting and then my regular 3-11:30 shift.

Terrible tragedy - I hope those poor souls didn't suffer. My prayers to the families.

I had gone to sleep last night with Fox News on and when I woke up (about 10:00 am) they were showing the flaming shuttle streaking across the sky; course, I had no idea what had happened and my first thoughts were, oh my God, we're being bombed.

[agitator]

This is for the record from the Radio FreeRepublic chat room where a few Freepers were tracking the shuttle in real-time.

[08:23:00] <@EABinGA> but from what it looks like, it will fly directly over your head

[08:23:23] <+carenot> Woah!

[08:24:28] <@EABinGA> in about 35-40 minutes

[08:24:54] <+carenot> I will look for it. Thanks.

[08:25:15] <@EABinGA> leaving australia now, heading towards the philipines

[08:25:48] <@EABinGA> i'll see if i can let you know, when to stick your head out the window :)

[08:26:10] <+carenot> LOL, Thanks!

[08:52:24] <@EABinGA> Approaching California

[08:53:18] <+carenot> Ok. Ijust went out and didn't see anything. Sky is very bright.

[08:53:27] <@EABinGA> not yet... i'll let you know

[08:53:37] <+carenot> Ok, thanks again

[08:53:37] <@EABinGA> just north of SF, calif. now

[08:54:32] <@EABinGA> it doesnt take you long to go outside does it? it is moving very fast

[08:55:03] <+carenot> About 15 seconds

[08:55:08] <+carenot> If that.

[08:55:51] <@EABinGA> north of las vegas now

[08:56:10] <@EABinGA> arizona

[08:56:30] <@EABinGA> entering new mexico

[08:56:41] <@EABinGA> looks like it will be to the north of you

[08:57:06] <@EABinGA> eproaching texas now

[08:57:26] <@EABinGA> probably will be in texas in about 2 minutes

[08:58:15] <@EABinGA> going from new mexico to luisiana in a straight line, entering texas now

[08:58:22] <@EABinGA> time to go outside

[08:58:29] <+carenot> Ok, going now!

[09:00:26] <@EABinGA> they lost tracking.....

[09:02:25] <@EABinGA> probably long gone now

[09:04:59] <@EABinGA> should be landing in 12 minutes

[09:05:32] <+carenot> Ok, back in

[09:05:38] <@EABinGA> nothing?

[09:05:40] <+carenot> It is cold out there

[09:06:07] * @EABinGA passes carenot a cup of hot tea

[09:06:16] <+carenot> No I didn't see or hear anything and now I have a stiff neck!

[09:06:26] <+carenot> Thanks, LOL

[09:06:26] <@EABinGA> :)

[09:06:46] <@EABinGA> they are trying to contact the shuttle....

[09:07:01] <+carenot> They lost it?

[09:07:12] <@EABinGA> yeah, over your house

[09:07:51] <@EABinGA> 8 minutes to landing

[09:07:55] <+carenot> How big is it? Maybe I better check the tornado cellar

[09:08:46] <@EABinGA> it wont fit in there :D

[09:08:52] <+carenot> Good

[09:09:34] <+carenot> Where is it supposed to land?

[09:09:38] <@EABinGA> i am surprised how calm the folks are at mission control.... they actually look bored

[09:09:41] <@EABinGA> florida

[09:09:59] <@EABinGA> still looking for the shuttle

[09:10:06] <@EABinGA> 6 more minutes

[09:10:35] <@EABinGA> lost contact about 10 minutes ago

[09:10:51] <+carenot> How in heck can they lose a shuttle? What about all the radar every where?

[09:11:40] <+carenot> My thinking

[09:11:48] <@EABinGA> 5 minutes

[09:12:53] <@EABinGA> 4 minutes and still no contact

[09:13:46] <@EABinGA> 3 minutes

[09:14:41] <@EABinGA> starting contingency procedures

[09:14:52] <@EABinGA> people are actually moving at mission control

[09:15:02] <@EABinGA> no radar contact

[09:15:04] <@EABinGA> 1 minute

[09:15:54] <+carenot> I can't believe they lost it!

[09:16:12] <@EABinGA> should have touched down by now

[09:17:06] <@EABinGA> look at FR

[09:17:11] <+carenot> OK

[09:17:19] <@EABinGA> 3 messages already posted

[09:17:06] <@EABinGA> look at FR

[09:17:11] <+carenot> OK

[09:17:19] <@EABinGA> 3 messages already posted

[09:17:37] * bigaln2 (trillian@TORN-32B687FB.netwurx.net) has joined #rfr

[09:17:38] * ChanServ sets mode: +v bigaln2

[09:19:13] <+carenot> They lost the shuttle!

[09:20:52] <+carenot> I wonder if it has been blow up and they are not telling us?

[09:21:37] <@EABinGA> i am watching NASA TV...

[09:22:20] <@EABinGA> you didnt see it blow up?

[09:22:35] <+carenot> I didn't see nuffin!

[09:23:02] * Scutter (Scutter@TORN-104DEC60.cmngga.adelphia.net) has joined #rfr

[09:23:03] * ChanServ sets mode: +v Scutter

[09:23:04] <@EABinGA> Last seen over Dallas.

[09:23:09] <+Scutter> Shit

[09:23:27] <+carenot> Fix my hat hat please Scutter.

[09:23:42] <@EABinGA> I am not lying about this. I live in Dallas. Right at the time it disappeared, we heard a large boom.

[09:23:46] <@EABinGA> from FR

[09:23:47] * +Scutter adjusts carenot's hat

[09:25:05] <+carenot> I saw that it was visible in Dallas on the tv. It showed a very long contrail

[09:26:27] <+carenot> Just said they are securing all records and data.

[09:28:21] <+bigaln2> What the hell happened to the shuttle?

[09:28:38] <+carenot> They lost it

[09:28:42] <+Scutter> don't know al, but it isn't looking good

[09:28:57] <+bigaln2> The pictures on CNN are quite damning

[09:29:10] <+Scutter> its gliding in for a landing, so its not like it can just float around up there indefinately

[mwyounce]

Bump to remember the Challenger 7, lost on this day in 1986 and the Columbia 7, lost on February 1, 2003.

It's almost haunting to read the first few posts from this thread, as we all realized the tragedy that had just happened. Just as the WTC threads did, this is a snapshot of a tragic moment in American history.

"They slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God"
--President Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986.