[sneakypete]

The Shuttle had its first Israeli pilot on this mission, Ilan Ramon, 48. There is no indication that terrorism was involved in this tragedy.

Why the hell would they even mention that? Are they trying to imply he sabatoged the mission and killed himself and the other astronauts? Whoever wrote that needs to sober up before releasing a news story. This is already enough of a tradegy without injecting nonsense such at that into it. They are virtually suggesting that the dead pilot was a terrorist murderer.

[Tommyjo]

"The Shuttle had its first Israeli pilot on this mission, Ilan Ramon, 48. There is no indication that terrorism was involved in this tragedy.

Why the hell would they even mention that? Are they trying to imply he sabatoged the mission and killed himself and the other astronauts? Whoever wrote that needs to sober up before releasing a news story. This is already enough of a tradegy without injecting nonsense such at that into it. They are virtually suggesting that the dead pilot was a terrorist murderer"

No you have picked this up wrong. Because there was an Israeli onboard the security was tight in case terrorists planned to target Columbia either on the launchpad or immediately before/after landing. Ilan Ramon was one of the Israeli pilots who flew on the 1981 raid on Iraq to bomb the nulclear plant before it went on-line.