Columbia streaks toward Florida touchdown to end successful 16-day science mission

Associated Press ^ | February 1, 2003 08:20 | Marcia Dunn

[Moonmad27]

I saw this article yesterday morning on the AP wire service when I first checked about the shuttle at hearing at 6 AM-ish pacific time that there was a reported problem. It was poignant to see this article, especially that quote from David Brown, which I pointed out on a thread yesterday. To me it's the same as the live thread that got attention from the WSJ - a frozen moment in time, ironic, sad and interesting in retrospect.

[Vermont Lt]

The AP is not only a newpaper source, but a significant radio source as well. Radio newscasters, around the country, get updates throughout the morning. Writing stories such as this is very, very common. If you read it carefully, you will see that the content is pretty much cookie-cutter stuff.

Listen to morning radio when they talk about events from the night before. Usually, the first couple of broadcasts will have "stale" news. This is because the reporters are getting the stories written for the day. On most "non news talk" radio stations (those that play music, etc.) you will hear a group of stories, written in rotation, throughout the morning.

My wife is a radio newscaster, and has been for 20 years. They work hard--but they try to be efficient, like everyone else.

These are not conspiracies...and yes, many times the bulk of the story IS written before the event takes place. The who, where, when stuff is all fleshed out. The what and why is usually what has to wait. However, politicians have their speeches written and handed out before the events. This helps meet really tight deadlines.

[SubMareener]

I know a reporter who filed a story about the passage of an important bill, because he/she had a deadline, and the Senate was slow! You can't imagine the angst he/she went through until the Senate actually voted and the bill passed! We all felt really sorry for him/her. ;-)

[The Great Satan]

Ilan Ramon, a colonel in Israel's air force and former fighter pilot, became the first man from his country to fly in space, and his presence resulted in an increase in security, not only for Columbia's Jan. 16 launch, but also for its landing. Space agency officials feared his presence might make the shuttle more of a terrorist target.

Yes, thank God it didn't blow up or anything.

[don-o]

Winnah!

Stupid Post of the Week!

[Timesink]

What do I win? A free subscription to The American Prospect?

[don-o]

A half smoked ceegar is your prize.

Enjoy

[cricket]

"DOES ANYONE DOUBT "

. . .no, do not doubt it. But I am wondering what 'experiments' they were bringing home.

I do not doubt that their was more than a little 'spying' going on and am wondering if the results of this mission went down with the ship.

[Cvengr]

''I guess you've been wondering, but you are 'go' for the deorbit burn,'' Mission Control radioed at practically the last minute....... ''Do we really have to come back?'' astronaut David Brown jokingly asked Mission Control before the ride home.

I wonder in what context these quotes were actually delivered. Probably inncocent, but perhaps ill-fated.

[Dan Day]

I don't see your point. I don't see anything in this article that didn't happen. Columbia was streaking towards a Florida landing. That landing simply did not take place.

Agreed.

[Old Professer]

[Nayt2]

is his/her name pat by chance?

[Hegewisch Dupa]

Wow - someone has a killer case of dishingoutbutcan'ttakeit-itis. SMED's right - the reporter does not have cause for embarrassment. There are numerous, practically countless, examples of the media and their (idiotic) agenda. This isn't even sloppy reporting - if anything, it speaks volumes for our space program, for we have come to treat an incoming shuttle the same as an arriving train. The trip is seldom the story; some interesting passengers may be.

[Timesink]

Wow - someone has a killer case of dishingoutbutcan'ttakeit-itis.

This thread was not an attack on SMED. His post, however, was an attack on me. You want to disagree about the meaning of the story, but keep it civil or else yes, you're going to get back what you give out.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

You must excuse my Monday morning diagnosing ability. I mistook some symptoms in your post for dishingoutbutcan'ttakeit-itis, but upon further review I see it is a case of simple self-defense. SMED did make great points but ended with an unnecessary attack on you.

[Timesink]

By the way, my point was not that this is some sort of conspiracy, but that it always has been, and remains, stupid to prewrite stories and send them out before they've really become news, because they have a tendency to come back and bite you on the ass. This article was quite obviously written many hours before it ran, except for a hastily-shoved-in second sentence, and served no practical purpose. It's not particularly newsworthy that the shuttle was starting a preentry descent. The story should either have been written and filed the night before as a generic "they're coming back tomorrow" piece, or they should have held off on sending it until after a successful touchdown.

I'm hardly the only person to question this practice, either.

[Timesink]

You must excuse my Monday morning diagnosing ability. I mistook some symptoms in your post for dishingoutbutcan'ttakeit-itis, but upon further review I see it is a case of simple self-defense. SMED did make great points but ended with an unnecessary attack on you.

Not a problem. Just send me doughnuts and I'll forget all about it.

[TLBSHOW]

Great Thread!