** Photos ** An American Tragedy. The Space Shuttle Columbia.

Yahoo News Photos ^ | 2-1-03

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The U.S. space agency NASA lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia minutes before its scheduled landing February 1, 2002. NASA said it scrambled rescue units to search in Texas for the shuttle and its seven astronauts. The agency lost contact at around 9 a.m./1400 GMT, about 16 minutes before its scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center. Columbia is NASA's oldest shuttle and first flew in 1981. A January 12, 2003 file photo shows space shuttle Columbia astronauts pose at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From left are Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Pilot William "Willie" McCool, Commander Rick Husband, Mission Specialists Laurel Clark and David Brown, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, who is the first Israeli astronaut to fly on a Shuttle mission.

 

[cmsgop]

Very Nice, Thank You!

[MasonGal]

Thank you very much for this!!

[jwfiv]

Thank you for the pics.

[RobFromGa]

Thanks for putting this together. It is excellent.

[facedown]

Great job bump!

[lodwick]

Good job and thanks for the work. bttt

[petuniasevan]

Thanks OEB

[snippy_about_it]

Ping.

When your able to hook up to FR again, this is a good compilation of shuttle pictures.

[McGruff]

Nice job !

[Humidston]

BRAVO, Oeb!

As an aside, the area where the wreckage fell is what they call "Deep East TX" - meaning heavy/thick forests of timber. Recovery of all the wreckage will be very difficult, IMHO.

I hadn't heard this described before, so thought people might be interested. (I lived in Nacogdoches for 10 mths.)

[BenLurkin]

Thank you.

[Robe]

How ironic that their mission patch would have a "Shooting Star" and the left wing displaying the crew as "Stars"

[Robe]

Shoot I just noticed the "HALO"...Spooky

[groanup]

BUMP

[WorkingClassFilth]

Thanks for helping me get to know these men and women a little. Seeing a face always helps ground me in a story and seeing these Americans reminded me what a great nation we truly are. So diverse in make-up and background, we are still one in mourning and the pride that we produce and attract these kinds of people. Even in tragedy like this, I am proud to be an American.

[twyn1]

The picture of Ilan Ramon covering his face as the others talk about him just breaks my heart

[ChadGore]

[ladyinred]

What a tribute. Thanks for posting these.

[Soaring Feather]

Beautiful tribute, thank you.