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

[Howlin]

A very nice thought.

[Howlin]

Far out! Totally!

[Pharmboy]

It looks like you just signed on here a few weeks ago. Before you act like a public scold on FR, perhaps you should just hang out more. As they say, never miss a good opportunity to shut up.

[Howlin]

Launched on the 16th.

[mikenola]

Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell kneels next to a 7-foot piece of debris found west of Rusk, Texas, Saturday.

[Howlin]

This is a good thread.

Don't miss #51.

[_Jim]

"Shuttle mission STS-107 embroidered patch"

http://spaceflightnow.com/store/patches/sts107.html

[isthisnickcool]

Many are experts in their fields, many are near-geniuses.

Near? Just near? :)

[DouglasKC]

Is it just me or isn't it a bit unusual that so much debris has landed "just off the highway"...or on the highway? Perhaps some of this debris is debris that's always been there...fallen off cars, or trucks, or off the backs of pickups or garbage trucks.

[js1138]

Exactly what justification do you have for claiming "a heckofa lot of airliner parts fall off in routine flights"? I will spare you my opinion as an engineer about this statement if you can answer this question.

I will concede that no one seems to keep statistics on this. My information is based entirely on several news reports of incidents over the past years.

So if, in the next few months, there are no stories of airplane parts being mistakenly reported as shuttle parts, I'll accept humiliation.

[McGavin999]

The thing I love the most about the American people is the fact that they always manage to change a tragedy into a triumph. We take apart what happened and find out what went wrong, then we fix it and go on. We've done this all throughout our history.

We just keep plunging forward. Something happens, we stop a while to mourn and then go forward. It's our nature, and I love that about us.

[manna]

Oh, be quiet!

[js1138]

My guess is the "debris" is ice. If it turns out to be the culprit, It was probably a solid chunk rather than a bit of frost.

[djf]

Highways have lots of people going back and forth and looking. People don't drive cars through the woods. They will be finding things for years. Much will be found during hunting season.

[Timesink]

Apparently, the Texas Amber Alert system was activated yesterday in order to spread the word about the toll-free number to call to report debris.

[mommadooo3]

THAT'S what they said. Thanks for the correction. Brain's not too sharp today, weighed down with the loss.

[mommadooo3]

LOL!!! Thanks I needed that chuckle.

OK..., yuppers, there ARE geniuses on FR. NOW, if someone wants me to 'provide the links/data', I'll send them YOUR way. LOL.