NASA STATEMENT ON LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH COLUMBIA

NASA ^ | 2/1/03 | NASA

[AStack75]

NASA STATEMENT ON LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH COLUMBIA

A Space Shuttle contingency has been declared in Mission Control, Houston, as a result of the loss of communication with the Space Shuttle Columbia at approximately 9 a.m. EST Saturday as it descended toward a landing at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. It was scheduled to touchdown at 9:16 a.m. EST.

Communication and tracking of the shuttle was lost at 9 a.m. EST at an altitude of about 203,000 feet in the area above north central Texas. At the time communications were lost. The shuttle was traveling approximately 12,500 miles per hour (Mach 18). No communication and tracking information were received in Mission Control after that time.

Search and rescue teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth and in portions of East Texas have been alerted. Any debris that is located in the area that may be related to the Space Shuttle contingency should be avoided and may be hazardous as a result of toxic propellants used aboard the shuttle. The location of any possible debris should immediately be reported to local authorities.

Flight controllers in Mission Control have secured all information, notes and data pertinent to today's entry and landing by Space Shuttle Columbia and continue to methodically proceed through contingency plans.

News media covering the Space Shuttle should stay tuned to NASA Television, which is broadcast on AMC-2, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees West longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical and audio is monaural at 6.8 MHz. Reporters can also go to any NASA center newsroom to monitor the situation.

New information, including the times and locations of press briefings, will be posted to this page.

NASA Home Page

[rs79bm]

Just put my flag out flying high. Encourage everyone else to do the same.

[AStack75]

It's probably more appropriate to fly it at half-mast today.

[ChadGore]

[MeekOneGOP]

Click here for “Taps”

Rest in Peace...

[lainie]

Does that swath of material reflecting on nexrad always show up during a reentry or just today? That's incredible.

[DoughtyOne]

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

[knarf]

electronic interference??

[spetznaz]

During take-off CNN showed a video that clearly depicted a piece of insulation falling off the main tank and hitting the leading edge of a wing. They highlighted it, but by then the shuttle was already on its way up. Could that be the cause for the crash in that it somehow disrupted the ceramic heat shielding?

Here is a picture of the event.

[Reagan Man]

God bless the crew of shuttle Columbia.

R.I.P.

[PhiKapMom]

God be with the families and friends of these Astronauts on this tragic lose of the Columbia.

Thanks for giving us an idea at who these Astronauts are!

[Renfield]

As most of you probably have, I have been watching the films of the shuttle entering the atmosphere. One of them that was just aired on fox, zoomed in briefly and afforded a clear view of the shuttle before it broke up. It appeared to me that there was about a 20-degree yaw (meaning, that the nose was pointed about 20 degrees to the side of the flight path), which of course would explain the break-up. Has anyone considered the possibility that some malevolent adversary could have interfered with the computer data link between NASA and the shuttle?

[PackerBoy]

"Grisly" debris reportedly being found ... this is so very sad.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Link to radar loop

[EternalVigilance]

Maiden launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia

[Luis Gonzalez]

Pray for the crew, pray for their families, and for the ones left behind to challenge the winds of space and reach for the stars.

We go on.

[AStack75]

I'm mirroring the image of the crew. NASA's servers seem bogged down right now.

[AStack75]

Wow... That's incredible. Eerily reminiscent of the radar imagery of Matthattan on September 11th.

[Fiddlstix]

Nice Graphic

Rest in Peace
God Bless America