MARK STEYN: Americans are tougher about these things now

The Sunday Telegraph ^ | February 2, 2003 | Mark Steyn

[MadIvan]

Steyn understands.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Nick Thimmesch]

Get tough on this:

Iraqis Call Shuttle Disaster God's Vengeance
Sat February 1, 2003 03:24 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Immediate popular reaction in Baghdad on Saturday to the loss of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew -- including the first Israeli in space -- was that it was God's retribution.
"We are happy that it broke up," government employee Abdul Jabbar al-Quraishi said.

"God wants to show that his might is greater than the Americans. They have encroached on our country. God is avenging us," he said.

Iraqis are braced for a possible U.S.-led war to rid their country of any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons it may possess. Iraq denies it has such weapons.

Car mechanic Mohammed Jaber al-Tamini noted Israeli air force Colonel Ilan Ramon was among the dead when the shuttle broke up over the southwestern United States 16 minutes before its scheduled landing.

The 48-year-old Israeli astronaut was a fighter pilot in the Israeli air force. He was the youngest pilot in a team that bombed Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981. Israel said the reactor was intended to develop nuclear weapons.

"Israel launched an aggression on us when it raided our nuclear reactor without any reason, now time has come and God has retaliated to their aggression," Tamini said.

There were no such signs of jubilation over the shuttle disaster in any of the Palestinian territories. The official response from the Palestinians was one of condolence.

"President (Yasser) Arafat and the Palestinian Authority offer their condolences to the six American families and the Israeli family who lost their loved ones in the catastrophe," Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official and spokesman, told Reuters.

Erekat said Arafat had sent President Bush a message of condolences over the loss of the NASA space agency's shuttle. The United States, Israel's closest ally, is the chief Middle East peace broker.

[alfa6]

Thanks again MI

Deepest Regards

alfa6 ;>{

[Pokey78]

Thanks MI!

[Republic of Texas]

Steyn bump.

[rs79bm]

Mark Steyn Bump.

[laconic]

Is anyone out there able to answer this technical question? When I was a kid during the 1960s space shots, there were several minutes of radio silence/no telemetry transmission when the capsule was undergoing re-entry into the earth's atmosphere and communications were blocked. Now, there seems to be no break in shuttle/NASA communications during such reentry, as this morning's flight evidenced from the point they started their descent until the tragedy occurred. A) Is the latter true, i.e, that there is no longer a communications blackout during reentry?, and B) if it is, what technological breakthrough occurred enabling communications even during reentry?

[The Right Stuff]

Steyn is the best.

[irv]

A frontier is part of the US character.

bttt.

[yooper]

"We are happy that it broke up," government employee Abdul Jabbar al-Quraishi said."

"God wants to show that his might is greater than the Americans. They have encroached on our country. God is avenging us," he said.

Abdul, you're about to have the Iraqi definition of "vengeance" rewritten in ways you can't begin to comprehend. Once again the Religion of Peace is exulting over the violent deaths of others.....

[Dog]

Look at this outrage...

Within an hour of the Shuttle's loss, a Canadian Broadcasting Corportation interviewer was gleefully asking her alleged expert whether the failure was due to American "arrogance", the same "arrogance" the Americans are currently demonstrating in the Middle East.

Fire the witch!

[BADROTOFINGER]

I have no idea, but ill take a layman's guess. Could it be that the communications network is much denser now? Kind of like the fact that practially every square inch of the country is covered for cell phone use, when only 5 years ago, it wasnt? Just a guess...JFK

[Taiwan Bocks]

The official response from the Palestinians was one of condolence.

The unofficial response in the streets of Judea and Samaria and Gaza was effusive joy.

The same as in every devout Muslem all over the world.

Gimme a break, Reuters, with the 'Iraq is the only American hating Islamacist' bull!

[Arthur McGowan]

The capsules used in the 60s and 70s used a heat shield that melted and vaporized during re-entry. This surrounded the capsule with a cloud of ionized gas that blocked radio waves. The underside of the shuttle is covered with ceramic tiles that do not vaporize, but absorb the heat of re-entry and dissipate it afterward.

[GROOVY]

I heard about this when it happened. Horrifying. Somebody should notify O'Reilly. I think I will send him an email.

[LonePalm]

Thanks again, Ivan,

Farewell sweet princes and prencesses. May bands of angels wing thee to thy rest.

Farewell shipmates, keep the bar stools warm and a pint cold. I'll be there in due time.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[chief_bigfoot]

They touched on this topic today. One of the experts pointed out that it was the advent of satellite communications that reduced/eliminated the 'black-out' period. NASA doesn't have to rely soely on UHF transmissions for communications any longer. At least that's what the fellow said....

[LonePalm]

prencesses = princesses

Damn, I can't type through the tears.

We are singing Eternal Father, Strong to Save tomorrow in church and I will read the names and biographies of the Columbia crew beforehand.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[RobFromGa]

bttt.