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

[freepersup]

I caught bits and pieces of the briefing. They mentioned excessive- first left, and then right, wing roll.

As previously mentioned here at FR, a possible burst tire from the heat build up blows out the underside of the wing creating a gross drag / aerodynamic disfigurement... putting the shuttle in a drastic yaw which it is ill equipped to recover from.

Akin to riding in an automobile at a high rate of speed and encountering a stretch of highway coated with ice... sent into a slow spin and into the path of an oncoming semi.

[Redleg Duke]

As an engineer, this debris is important for the failure analysis. As a human, this debris is important because it provides a sense of closure in our grief. It enables us to let go of our human wishes that somehow, someone onboard may have survived.

The condition of the debris also proved to us the absolute catastrophic failure that ensured that these brave souls did not suffer.

It seems to me that you may be one of the ones getting their rocks off on this.

As to being a "taxpayer"...bit deal. Why don't you try being a "Citizen".

[RummyChick]

if your husband was killed in this tragedy would you want nasa to give you his helmet or would you never want to see it again.

I don't know how I would feel about it

[Lady Jag]

MSNBC got it wrong, it's left, left on takeoff, left on re-entry.

[Rushmore Rocks]

Okay, Flair,
You pissed me off. I'm sure your comments were perhaps well intentioned, but certainly ill informed. My family "homestead" and roots are in a little bitty town called Slocum. It's about halfway between Palestine and Nacogdoches. The "bubbas" and "rednecks" you referred to are probably some of my relatives. I'm sure they prefer R.C.Cola over latte, grits over granola, moon pies over mousse, and pan fries over pommes frittes. After living all over the world and all over this wonderful nation of ours, I've never seen people more patriotic, more caring, more loyal, and more generous than those in east Texas.
Before you issue another blanket condemnation....go there.
Visit the people. I'm sure they will change your mind, and, hopefully, your heart.

[tubebender]

Just out of view in that pic is some livestock. The dogs appears to be working cow dogs perhaps.

[Timesink]

It's not hick if they're the result of professional news photographers begging them to pose in front of their debris.

[Thud]

http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/030202235531.8mzb9246.html

Overcompensation by the autopilot for increased left drag might have yawed the spacecraft out of control in a 90 degree yaw, left wing forward. But IMO higher drag on the left wing, alone, would have rotated Columbia counter-clockwise, i.e., put the left wing on the far side from the drag.

But something caused the autopilot to overcorrect, if that was the cause of the final, fatal, yaw.

[fnord]

great thread .. thanks for starting it

[Mark Felton]

My family is from Emory, TX in Rains county. Just East of Dallas and about 100 miles north of Palestine...just down the road ;)

[amom]

Mt. Vernon is a great place with wonderful folks. Hook em Horns.

An Anderson County volunteer firefighter watches over a piece of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia...after the shuttle broke apart during reentry over East Texas

[virgil]

Maybe the flight control system was being effected by the heat.

[AK2KX]

if the debris fell over the "blue zones" we could have video tapes of the kids zipping down the streets with the pieces they were absconding with, and advertisers showing them proudly holding their 'souveniers' they got because they were wearing ???? brand sneakers.

Worth repeating! God Bless Texas!

[tubebender]

I'm kind of confused about this.

My money is riding with Ron Dittemore at NASA. By the time those pictures were taken Columbia had been in trouble for at least 6 minutes and several hundred miles.

[Timesink]

I have no idea. Seems they only cost $5. If they were made of something special, you'd think they'd cost more than that.

I've read in the past that they take all sorts of little doodad souvenirs up with them, including a lot of patches, to be distributed later to friends and VIPs. You know, so you can say "Hey, look at this, it's actually been in space!"

Of course, so has any random rock you might pick up, when you think about it. But I suppose it means something to have had your little doodad put into space by mankind.

[virgil]

I'm glad this thread was started. There seems to be a few people on who know about aerospace and its helpful.

[ZinGirl]

I've only driven through Texas....many years ago....but I believe what you say about people in Texas.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....I admire anybody who would put a flower at a piece of metal....just to say, "I care and I am grieving for you....I may not have known you but you represent the bravery and courage that this country is known for".

[amom]

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

Yes thanks. It works great.

[amom]

A huge piece of space shuttle debris leans against a tree in the woods where it was found by authorities outiside Hemphill, Texas, February 2, 2003.

[amom]

Brittany Gloor of Jasper, Texas takes a snapshot of a huge piece of space shuttle debris found by authorities outiside Hemphill, Texas, February 2, 2003.