No SAM Capable of Hitting SHuttle

FAS Website ^ | 6-30-2000 | Federation of American Scientists

[Basilides]

Just a question....are one of these capable of hitting a target like the Shuttle upon re-entry ?

I'm not saying that is what happened....but the press keeps repeating that NO SAM could have hit the shuttle.

Is that really the case ?

[isthisnickcool]

Here is one for the tin foilers. The nly thing that may have been capable would be the new "Star Wars" stuff.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

I would have to imagine a missile would leave a highly visible contrail that would have been seen by thousands. An ABM is doubtful.

[Brett66]

An ICBM could get the velocity to do it, but it doesn't have the targeting capability. There's really nothing, except experimental SDI technology that could do it, definitely not within a terrorists capability.

[GunRunner]

I don't think it was terrorism either. But the circumstances are just too weird. On the eve of the Iraq invasion, the shuttle carrying the first Israeli astronaut blows up, just as the threats from militant Arabs are heating up.

[Steel Wolf]

It would also be visible to the satellites that witnessed the explosion. Any act of terrorism would have to be an inside job, via sabotage of a timed explosive of some type. There is no way it was a missle, and it was most likely mechanical failure of some kind, not terrorism.

[duckman]

Don't forget it blew up over Texas which makes it even more weird.

[GunRunner]

Yeah, and wreakage rained down in Palestine, TX.

[Tall_Texan]

There's no chance it could be external terrorism (an external weapon striking the craft). As for internal terrorism (some form of sabotage to the craft), who would plan something that would cause the destruction of the craft on re-entry when it would be so much easier to plan something that would cause destruction at lift-off?

At this point, I have no reason not to suspect failure of the heat shield. I frankly doubt there will be much left of the craft with which to peace together what happened in any definitive way.

But two things I'll safely predict. First, a good many items of junk will be reported as fallen Columbia debris. Second, within a week somebody on E-Bay will try offering that junk as "Space Shuttle Debris".

[Basilides]

I agree it wasn't a missile...or if it was it would have been detectable...but is the press right in saying that no SAM/ABM system such as the SA-12b GIANT listed above, was capable of doing so ?

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I doubt any sabotage would be reported.

[TomB]

You are only looking at one part of the equation, height. You need to look at the other variable too, speed.

The shuttle was going somewhere around Mach 7 at the time it broke up. Nothing short of the SDI tech we are developing now would be capable of tracking it.

[Basilides]

OK..as I said I don't believe it was a missile....but I'm dense...maybe I don't understand trajectories and such...but the range of the SA-12b GIANT is listed at 120-200KM which is approximately 72-120 miles, or...you do the math....the shuttle was approximately 40 miles high coming in at are-entry angle.....what am I missing here ?

[SevenDaysInMay]

Communist Chinese laser fired from the Panama Canal or University of Texas @ Austin? Wrath of Allah?

Mankind has been in the heavens for only one century; we've come a long way since Kittyhawk.

IMHO, these extraordinarly uncommon men and women had extraordinarly uncommon bad luck doing their unforgiving dangerous work. At 3.5 miles per second nearly 40 miles overhead, they reached eternity in an instant.

Hail Columbia!

[Basilides]

Actually the latest speed was mentioned at 4000 mph...or a little less than Mach 6

[Let's Roll]

Agree that an inside job is more likely. There will be rioting in the streets IF it is learned that islamic or even non-islamic illegals were working in or around the launch crew/site.

[Leisler]