Debris Photos (GRAPHIC)

Yahoo News photos ^ | 2/2/03 | freepers

[Mark Felton]

[Your attention please. This thread has generated a ton of abuse reports. Some have been from long established freepers. Others have been from relative newbies. Some have been complaining about the thread. Others have been complaining about the complainers.

Throw on top of it the fact that some of the newbies who showed up on this thread happen to be returning bannees, who before being banned were friendly with some of the very people they are bickering with here, and something is striking us as just not right.

If you are interested in the debris photos, this is the thread for it. If not, don't join in this thread. It is not disrespectful to those who died to post pictures of the debris in our opinion. What they show and where they landed may help piece together what killed these brave people.

If you feel that is the wrong decision, we apologize and mean no harm. But please, no more arguing about it on the thread, and no more abuse reports on the matter.

Thanks, AM.]

Sun Feb 2, 1:14 AM ET

Fires, believed started by debris from the downed space shuttle Columbia, burn in an area near Dallas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Seven astronauts perished when the shuttle broke to pieces as it re-entered the atmosphere at the end of a 16-day mission. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

Sat Feb 1, 9:31 PM ET

A video image of a helmet that dropped into a yard in Norwood Community, Texas from the space shuttle Columbia is seen Feb. 1, 2002. Many parts of the shuttle, along with human remains, were found in the area. NASA (news - web sites) officials later removed the helmet. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)

Sat Feb 1,10:35 PM ET

A small brush fire started by a falling piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia outside Athens, Texas after the shuttle broke apart during re-entry over Texas on its way to a scheduled landing in Fla., Feb. 1, 2003. Authorities have not speculated on the cause of the crash. (Jeff Mitchell/Reuters)

Sat Feb 1, 9:31 PM ET

A piece of debris believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia is photographed near Lufkin, Texas, Feb. 1, 2003. NASA (news - web sites) lost contact with the shuttle at around 9 a.m., about 16 minutes before its scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center (news - web sites). (Reuters)

Sat Feb 1, 9:15 PM ET

Goldie Hamilton looks at a piece of debris that dropped into her yard in Alto, Texas from the space shuttle Columbia February 1, 2003. Many parts of the shuttle along with human remains were found in the area. Hamilton lives in the house in the background. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Sat Feb 1, 9:18 PM ET

A piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia dropped into this yard in Alto, Texas, February 1, 2003. Debris from space shuttle Columbia rained down onto fields, highways and a cemetery in Texas on Saturday, sending dozens of residents to hospitals after they handled the smoldering metal wreckage. All seven astronauts on board were killed in the break-up, which scattered potentially toxic debris across a 120-mile (190-km-long) swath of eastern Texas. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Sat Feb 1, 7:43 PM ET

Stan Melasky, left, and his brother Steve Melasky look over a piece of debris, believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia, that fell on their farm near Douglass, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Sat Feb 1, 8:52 PM ET

An Anderson County sheriff's deputy walks past a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia outside Palestine, Texas after the shuttle broke apart during reentry over East Texas on its way to a scheduled landing in Florida, February 1, 2003. Shaken NASA (news - web sites) officials vowed to find out what caused the space shuttle Columbia to break up, saying they would look closely at the impact of a piece of foam insulation that struck the orbiter's left wing at takeoff. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell

Sat Feb 1, 7:25 PM ET

A piece of space shuttle debris sits on the ground outside Bronson, 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)

Sat Feb 1, 7:29 PM ET

Searchers mark a small piece of debris while looking for remnants of the space shuttle outside Bronson, 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)

Sun Feb 2,10:11 AM ET

Resident Bugs Arriola looks at a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003 in Nacogdoches, Texas. People have been told not to touch any of the debris as there could be toxic chemicals on the material. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Sat Feb 1, 7:41 PM ET

Vollunteer firefigher John Berry looks out at small piece of debris believed to be from the space shuttle Columbia in a rural area north of Palestine, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. The shuttle broke apart in flames over Texas on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts just minutes before they were to glide to a landing in Florida. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Sat Feb 1, 9:23 PM ET

A couple looks at a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia that dropped onto the highway in Alto, Texas February 1, 2003. Debris fromColumbia rained down onto fields, highways and a cemetery in Texas on Saturday, sending dozens of residents to hospitals after they handled the smoldering metal wreckage. All seven astronauts on board were killed in the break-up, which scattered potentially toxic debris across a 120-mile (190-km-long) swath of eastern Texas. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

[Mark Felton]

Post your debris field related photos here.

[Mark Felton]

REMNANTS FOUND: Another possible artifact from the shuttle landed in the Arriola-Cooke Cemetery off Texas Highway 7 in Nacogdoches County. (Staff Photo By D.J. Peters)

[petuniasevan]

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster Archive

[EggsAckley]

bttt

[Mark Felton]

I live in Clear Lake and we work for NASA. We have friends who are astronauts! One of them is due to go up on the next flight.

Do not DARE to lecture me about this you sanctimonious numbskull.

We want answers. We want truth. We want closure. Do NOT look at this thread if you have problems.

[John Jorsett]

How is posting these here any more inappropriate than the news organizations publishing them in the first place? This is just consolidating these items for people who want to see what's happening.

[KineticKitty]

Thank you for this thread, even as hard as it is to look at. I am in the process of trying to collect and save these photo's for a possible online memorial.(or something)

The helmet is heart wrenching, but says so much about this tragedy and the sacrifice these astronauts made.

[Mark Felton]

Admin: Please restore this to the Breaking News where I originally posted it and where it belongs. FR is concerned with truth, knowledge and understanding.

This thread is useless if it does not exist in the Breaking News or Front Page.

Since you removed it, must I assume you are not interested?

[M Kehoe]

Unfortunately, all of this must be cataloged, docuemented, archived, etc. so that a tragedy of this nature won't happen again.

5.56mm

[John Jorsett]

A piece of the space shuttle Columbia lies on the side of Hwy 21 near Nacogdoches, Texas, February 1, 2003. Debris from space shuttle Columbia rained down onto fields and highways in Texas on Saturday, with witnesses coming across smoldering metal wreckage, including what appeared to be a door from the orbiter, local officials and eyewitnesses said. REUTERS/Richard Carson

[Will_Zurmacht]

I have no problem with this thread. I don't want to see remains, God knows, but the debris is significant. I am actually most caught up by the very American pictures. These are normal folks, farmers, families, all taking time out of their day to watch over and ponder these pieces of debris on their roads. Various members of a community sem to be gathering around the roped off areas and talking.In a way its very moving....

[Mark Felton]

The photos may help bring closure.

[tet68]

Thanks for this thread, some of these WILL be hard to view
but we must see them to KNOW.

9-11 look, see, and remember.

[nhoward14]

Thank you for this. Considering this occurred 40 miles up at 12500 mph and 3000F, it is amazing to see what did survive the rest of the trip down.

[isthisnickcool]

Please, I find this ugly. Why do this to ther people who are involved & the thousands in so many areas who have family & friends from NASA?

Take it easy. The 7 people lost yesterday were killed because they sought to learn. Their jobs, the jobs they choose, were to find the truth in their own dangerous work. Without striving to find the truth of things man would not be man.

The same thing applies to anyone wanting to discover the truth about what happened yesterday. Part of that is gathering evidence and looking at it. It's also the nature of man to be curious. Something you proved by coming here to this thread. And if you are reading this you came back again when you should have just stayed away if you have a problem with the content.

So use the off switch is you need to. That's is what it is for.

[ZinGirl]

I support your thread. I want to feel closer to those who were braver than I could ever be. I'll look at debris photos and cry for the families, friends, and everyone involved. I don't find it gruesome or tasteless. I also looked at photos of the WTC. How else can we remember? How else can we cope? Why else would people...strangers...be putting flowers and flags at a piece of metal other than to say, "I care...and I will honor you".

[Ditter]

If the pictures bother you ,don't look. This is a historic event, like the WTC, a tragedy to be sure, but interesting & something to remember. I doubt very much if the families of the astronauts are on FR looking at this. I would tell them the same thing, don't look.

[Momaw Nadon]