Columbia Discussion thread

Feb 1, 2003

[cgk]

or will they (shudder) see the "point"

That's not even a remote possibility.

[HighWheeler]

Was that just another example of your one-word, thoughtless posts? Do you notice the pattern?

BTW, I just looked it up, the (BPC) Boost Protective Cover of the Saturn V command module weighed 700 pounds, but you think that wasn't a consideration for Apollo program.

your statement: "The payloads for Apollo were not nearly as heavy as those for the shuttle,..."

The LEO payload of the Apollo Saturn V was 270,000 lbs. while the entire payload plus the shuttle orbiter weighs only 228,188 lbs.

I await your next thoughtless insult followed by more of your wrong information.

[betty boop]

Sure. It might be a coincidence. But then again, is it?

What I can't get out of my mind is the date -- Chinese New Year. Here's a really wild speculation: If the ChiComs have their fingerprints on this, then they are working with folks who have a "real attitude" about Issraeli pilots who blow up Saddam's nuclear reactors.

I'm just connecting hypothetical dots here. But the "dots" may really not be "there" at all.

[Conservababe]

I am wondering, despite the warnings of hazard and pleas for investigation of the debris...how long before someone puts a peice up for auction on e-bay.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: I'll keep that in mind next time I post... if I remember to. I don't THINK I've ever forgotten anything, and I if I did, I probably don't remember anyway...

Did not mean you personally. I just took several IDs at random to get wider coverage.

[tomkat]

as unlikely as it seems, MSNBC just reported again that an arm and hand have been found in st. augustine, louisiana ...

[Darlin']

I addressed "negative" speculation.

[ladysusan]

I just heard a report on FoX 4 that just this has already happened, and that the auction has been pulled.

[CyberAnt]

OMG ... now I can see how the tire pressure reading could mean a great deal ... thank you so much for that interpretation.

I also heard that a door to a wheelwell could have come open ... which relates to the tire pressure issue.

I'm hoping there will be enough debris to make it possible for them to find out what happened; but traveling at such a high rate of speed, most of the shuttle will burn up.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Did not mean you personally. I just took several IDs at random to get wider coverage.

For wider coverage, just post to 'All', which should (in theory) get everyone on the thread ;0)

[dep]

how long before someone puts a peice up for auction on e-bay.

that will be about five minutes before the arrival of the fbi at their house. this happened repeatedly (though it was pre-ebay) when sts-51l went down.

dep

[Conservababe]

Lord love a duck, I had not heard.

[Catspaw]

This does not make her a terrorist, but I can't help but wonder if she were a white male if she would have been given a second chance.

You may want to check out Gus Grissom, most definitely a white male, who was given a second chance after his space capsule sunk. http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Apollo204/zorn/grissom.htm

[Lurking2Long]

Ah, but how powerful are the engines of the shuttle compared to those of the Apollo...?

IDIOT!

[Mamzelle]

Thanks for the pic...first smile of the day.

[hole_n_one]

Astronaut Mark Kelly picks up a piece of debris from space shuttle Columbia marked by flowers left by a passer-by in Nacogdoches, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Space shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames 200,000 feet over Texas on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts just minutes before they were to glide to a landing in Florida. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

[ladysusan]

FOX 4 in Dallas reported it not three minutes ago.

[CFC__VRWC]

The shuttle's airframe was originally certified for 100 flights;

Thanks for this post - I was wondering about this. As I recall, we now have three shuttles in service - Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour. Are there any other shuttles in the pipeline? It seems that NASA will almost have to commission at least one new one if there isn't already one under construction.

[Fabozz]

"Of course, I must stress since critics would conveniently forget what I wrote above, there is a good chance this was a coincidence."

There is no known human agency by which this could have been accomplished. No missile can shoot that high, and the security around Columbia was air-tight—Saddam would have had more luck planting a bomb on Air Force One. If this was terrorism, we're all in big trouble, because either the hand of Allah reached down and swatted the craft out of the sky, or Saddam really does have a captured UFO (as Pravda "reported" yesterday). Sure, people should ask the tough questions—but this particular tough question has a simple answer, and the answer is "hell no."

[lainie]

Buzz Aldrin was just on NBC as I went past, if anyone is interested.