[OReilly]

As usual (as of late) MSNBC was the first to break the news of a problem with the Shuttle... After listening to their Breaking news, I switched to CNN and Miles was way behind the curve, just getting some word in his ear, that he was not really believing.

CNN did catch up and provide the first and excellent visual of the multiple trails of the parts of the shuttle. Then they continued with excellent technical information.

The 16 minute point where they lost radar and telemetry, the competer control is supposed to execute the first of the S turns with a 57 degree bank.

[OReilly]

The 16 minute point where they lost radar contact and telemetry, the onboard computer control is supposed to execute the first of the S turns with a 57 degree bank.

That maneuver is quite sharp and abrupt. It is designed to expose the underbelly of the Shuttle to the atmosphere. In this case the underbelly is not the soft part (but rather the extremely hardened and thermally re-radiative, Carbon Fiber Hi heat tiles)