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No Hint of Terrorism In Shuttle Tragedy
CBS News ^ | February 1, 2003

Posted on 02/01/2003 12:46:51 PM PST by HAL9000

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To: cynicalman
Tasteless - very tasteless.
21 posted on 02/01/2003 1:52:29 PM PST by Churchillspirit
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To: mewzilla
If it was sabotage, maybe it was done to occur on landing because you've got temps and stresses that would make it easier to do.

Don't you think the crew would've had plenty of time to notice any sabotage attempt?

22 posted on 02/01/2003 1:54:04 PM PST by Elenya ( And So It Begins...)
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To: Elenya
Short answer, no.
23 posted on 02/01/2003 1:58:01 PM PST by mewzilla
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To: mewzilla
How long were they up there? 2 weeks?
24 posted on 02/01/2003 2:01:01 PM PST by Elenya ( And So It Begins...)
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To: HAL9000
Agreed. The software could have been tampered with, and considering that compromise that gave the Chinese access to our launch codes, anything is possible.

I think that probably it was mechanical failure, but the effort but forward to RULE OUT terrorists make it seem suspious, none the less.
25 posted on 02/01/2003 2:08:42 PM PST by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton
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To: Joe 6-pack
I think we should start bombing Iraq, just in case...

I agree that this would help the collective mood today.

26 posted on 02/01/2003 2:14:08 PM PST by Jennifer in Florida
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To: HAL9000
It's a bit insulting to the intelligence and courage of Americans that they have to keep running this sort of meaningless guff to "reassure" people.

Obviously the shuttle wasn't shot down. And the odds are probably 100-1 or better that it wasn't sabotaged, either. But the latter can't be ruled out until a full investigation has been made. If we have spies in our most secret nuclear facilities, it's not beyond possibility that we have sleeper agents or malevolent persons connected with the shuttle program.
27 posted on 02/01/2003 2:23:21 PM PST by Cicero
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To: HAL9000
There is a lot of debris in space. Leftover junk from satellites, screws, bolts, chunks of metal etc. all travelling incredibly fast. Something like 50,000 kilometers per hour. The kinetic energy of colliding with a 2 centimeter ball bearing that is in orbit around the Earth is the same as colliding with a 1 ton automobile at 60 miles per hour. This is perhaps the biggest hazard in space. A fleck of paint from an old rocket could kill an astronaut. NASA uses a telescope designed to locate and chart projectiles in space, and it is possible to anticipate where their coming from based on these charts, and past history of where rockets and satellites are located. It is a rather large surface area, significantly bigger than the earth's surface, but still we don't know much about collisions which spread this debris all over the orbital surface. Defense against space debris is based in Norad,(the underground military base in Colorado), who alerts the shuttle crews when they are near a danger zone.
NASA takes special precautions to shield the astronauts, and essential spaceship components from projectiles and debris. An astronaut in a space walk is as vulnerable as a soldier on a battlefield. And what's more, A small projectile could destroy sattelight, rocket, or space shuttle.
By changing the flight attitude while in orbit it is possible to minimize potential damage from a collision, and to protect an astronaut who is working outside. The odds of collision are pretty low, but the destructive power can be devastating.
It is possible that the shuttle collided with space debris upon re-entry. The combination of heat, and increased velocity of the shuttle, and a collision with a screw or a large bolt travelling at 50,000 km/hr would probably be enough to cause the explosion.
28 posted on 02/01/2003 2:24:41 PM PST by ramdalesh
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To: HAL9000
A thought concerning Boeing...
29 posted on 02/01/2003 2:36:52 PM PST by HAL9000
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To: HAL9000

Columbia's 28th trip into space begins at 10:39 a.m. EST on Jan. 16 blasting off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

30 posted on 02/01/2003 2:39:53 PM PST by Jennifer in Florida (God Bless America)
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To: HAL9000
S. Launches Second Scud for Anti-Missile Research

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, California (AP) -- The U.S. military launched a Scud missile Monday to obtain data for use in developing missile defense systems.

The missile lifted off from a mobile launcher, reached an altitude of 281,000 feet (84,300 meters) and traveled 186 miles (300 kilometers) before it fell into the Pacific Ocean, Missile Defense Agency spokesman Chris Taylor said. The test was conducted to obtain flight data, and did not involve an intercept attempt, he said.

It was the military's second launch this month of a Scud, a ballistic missile that was developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and is now in the arsenals of at least 25 nations, including Iraq.

The launch was part of a $13 million program to help develop an advanced version of the Patriot anti-missile system and other defense technologies, officials said.

The Patriot was put to the test during the 1991 Gulf War, when Iraq fired about 90 Scuds. Forty-three landed in Saudi Arabia and 39 in Israel. One hit a U.S. barracks in Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers. A congressional report found that Patriots downed only four Scuds.

The Scud is difficult to hit because it wobbles wildly in flight.

A Call for Planetary Defense

The final report of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, released last week, calls for the Department of Defense (DoD) to take on the role of planetary defense.

The Commission noted that the U.S. Air Force is looking into use of satellites for detecting and tracking human-made satellites in Earth orbit. That effort should be broadened, the study group advised, to include detection of asteroids.

Given Air Force study and other military space reviews underway, "planetary defense should be assigned to the DoD in cooperation with NASA," the report states.

"The day will arrive when an asteroid is discovered on a collision course with Earth. The more we know about their orbit and structure, the more effective we can be in attempting to deflect it from harm's way," the Commission report concludes.

-- L
31 posted on 02/01/2003 4:21:19 PM PST by drron
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To: drron
The missile lifted off from a mobile launcher, reached an altitude of 281,000 feet (84,300 meters) and traveled 186 miles

Where did you get this from? Everything I've read about the Vandenberg Scud tests show that the altitude reached about 150,000 feet, not any more than this. When was this test conducted?
I found this story: Scud Tests

32 posted on 02/01/2003 5:59:08 PM PST by Jennifer in Florida (God Bless America)
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To: CharlotteVRWC
Lord that's scary.
33 posted on 02/01/2003 8:10:48 PM PST by katherineisgreat
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