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

[XBob]

It looks like a spherical metal tank (helium or fuel component) covered with insulation that has frayed badly.

not exactly = that is the tank structure, not insulation. tanks are not metal, they are made of wrapping composite, tape, which I think is to be fiberglass, into a sphere, making a tough, light tank.

[Mark Felton]

Hi XBob,

yes LibertyPost has been descended upon with America Haters unfortunately (mostly vampires from LibertyForum). I do enjoy thoroughly unmoderated political debate there, but many of those folks are not interested in truth. many are...

[facedown]

There you go! (I emailed you anyway with some add'l info.)

[Redleg Duke]

That isn't a "shoe sole"! It is a foot peddal, probably from either the pilot or copilot's position.

The subject of hick is an interesting comment coming from someone who can't recognize this.

[Thinkin' Gal]

I've lost track of whether it was mentioned on this thread, but one of the first videos of debris burning clearly showed the shape of a tree in the form of the charred groundcover. Someone mentioned it looked like the tree on the flag of Lebanon (I have not seen the flag myself). This was the video that showed two people and a dog (I think) walking around the edge of the charred area. Whether it looked like a pine tree, an olive tree, or what, it was most definitely a distinct tree shape.

Is this the one?

[XBob]

332 - "I would think that if the reaction control system was still functional they might have been able to correct the attitude;"

sorry, no - the oms/rcs rocket motors are designed for zero g, and have nowhere the power.

[Redleg Duke]

Looks like a control pedal to me. Even if I can't spell peddal!

[amom]

Astronaut Mark Kelly picks up a piece of debris from space shuttle Columbia in Nacogdoches, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003...(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

[sonofatpatcher2]

A very interesting shuttle tile is Here.

I can only post on Geocities and have little bandwidth to post, so some can post it for me.

I inverted the photo on my computer and the writing reads:
V070-1911
-076 (or G) MN00

With these numbers, the tile should be traced to its exact location. It came from Kerens, Texas, 65 miles SE of Dallas and another tile is in Rice, Texas, 45 miles S of Dallas on I-45. If these tiles came from under the left wing, that would place its failure at the top of the debris field.

[amom]

Flowers sit next to a piece of debris from space shuttle Columbia in Nacogdoches, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003... (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

My apologizes if any of these are duplicates of what you already have.

[amom]

An unidentified man inspects a piece of debris from the space shuttle Columbia near Lufkin, Texas, February 1, 2003... REUTERS/Str

[amom]

Astronaut Mark Kelly picks up a piece of debris from space shuttle Columbia marked by flowers left by a passer-by in Nacogdoches, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003... . (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

[Redleg Duke]

Howlin,

Please don't waste your bandwidth or time on nmh or his ilk. They are the pathetic debris of the human race.

[Jhoffa_]

That's what struck me too Will, it's almost as though they are guarding these pieces with pride and honor. They understand that it's not merely a piece of history, it's an important piece of the future as well.

And they are also looking at them, I don't see anything gleeful or such associated with that.. (as one poster suggested)

I mean, if a piece of the shuttle landed in my yard, I would report it, protect it, look at it and wonder about it also.

It's just human nature..

[amom]

[Lady Jag]

When tiles started coming off the drop-offs probably would have risen exponentially. I.e., a tile comes off, allowing heat to the area, heating the tile adhesive and creeping under adjacent tiles, further loosening adhesive, and so on.

I have a tile and it is amazingly light weight. It is also granular to the touch and you can rub off the granulation; you could destroy the tile that way. Their heat resistance and extremely light weight accounts for their landing almost intact rather than evaporating.

[Arkinsaw]

Not every body has to wait for the Feds to give them permision to do something. Many things can and will and should be done at the local levels.

The Feds had apparently not even told the locals WHAT pieces were important or how to process them which is causing the locals to prioritize as best they can (its pretty obvious that the local sheriff was doing great trying to prioritize based on web-surfing shuttle info). Nonetheless a lack of info from the Federal government is hampering them.

But this is a NASA vehicle, and they know which parts need to be processed in which ways. The Feds need to be providing the locals with information so they can do their job if they want this stuff processed correctly and efficiently.

I realize that your post is an anti-Fed post, but in this case its a Fed vehicle, a Fed investigation, and a Fed problem and they either don't have their act together or are treating the locals like mushrooms.

You may think thats okay. I don't really.

[amom]

Please see posts 389, 395.

Thanks

[Arkinsaw]

That would be a Coast Guard helicopter.

It has a US Air Force winged-star symbol on the side and the caption at Yahoo indicates that its an Air Force bird. ???

[virgil]

I thought I heard in the news conference that the shuttle was experiencing increased drag on the left wing and the flight control system compensated by rolling right. I thought he said that that amount of response was higher than usual but not out of specs, whatever those are. I heard the MSNBC afterwards say that the shuttle was rolling right, way over, like it was over compensating. I'm kind of confused about this.