Photos show odd images near shuttle...

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | February 2, 2003 | David Perlman

[seraphMTH]

A San Francisco amateur astronomer who photographs the space shuttles whenever their orbits carry them over the Bay Area has captured five strange and provocative images of the shuttle Columbia just as it was re-entering the Earth's atmosphere before dawn Saturday.

[Yasotay]

I was stunned that NASA did not seem to know that ice had hit the left wing. While I usually don't like CNN, Miles O'Brian (sp) has been doing a great job. I do not know if NASA is a union 'shop' but I sure would of thought that more then 100 NASA people (as stated in the NASA briefing) would have been helping the locals today and getting as much debris as possible.

[aruanan]

If this is at a time of maximum plasma formation (as it was, according to the NASA spokesman), then separation of bits of the shuttle could result in the plasma being distributed between the various pieces and the shuttle.

[lonestar]

Well as long as we're having contrails at 200,000+ feet, we might as well have lightning bolts too.

I live about 90 miles SE of Nacogdoches. I saw a shuttle coming down one night and it was a huge orange ball of fire--looked like a huge sparkler. My question is, why wasn't it that bright orange color over Dallas? Had it not gotten low enough. It seems there is a little of the red glow in the Dallas video right before it explodes. Compared to what I saw, it should have been a big red glow.

[carlo3b]

I am sure we are in for a few surprises, some additional tragic, some creating even more questions.

[GovernmentShrinker]

I'm no expert on such things, but perhaps weather conditions and time of day could cause a good deal of variation in the appearance.

You're lucky you didn't get hit! Have you found or seen any debris?

[JudyB1938]

OMG That's a perfect likeness of tubby. ROFL

BTW, just for the record, winodog was an eyewitness of the craft as it went over Las Vegas. He said (paraphasing) that it looked like it was on fire. His report came out BEFORE the astronomer's in California.

[Howlin]

Exactly. But he came back later and said it might just have been the way the shuttles look when they are moving away from you.

Glad you liked my graphic.

[FITZ]

What about something simple and fairly common like a meteor?

[GOPJ]

odd stuff...

[JudyB1938]

That graphic? I laughed my head off over it. You need to figure out how to put a Barbie Doll next to it. (I know - I'm bad. LOL)

[Blood of Tyrants]

Are his photos even from THIS shuttle mission?

[smokegenerator]

San Fran---that says it all.

[Intolerant in NJ]

one word:laser...two words: chinese satellite....

[ConservativeLawyer]

Bump for later reading.

[MadJack]

It's PLASMA, Mr Science Editor. You should have gone to class more often.

[mathluv]

Several hundred miles.

[Destructor]

Here we go again! The Columbia Disaster is destined to become a conspiracy theory like Waco, OKC, and TWA 800. Wonder how many millions we blow having hearings on this one?

[Trust but Verify]

Ice breaks off from the external fuel tank on EVERY launch. If you have ever seen the footage taken from the orbiter itself on take-off, you have seen this. It is why they put the insulation around the tank, to reduce the ice. The insulation breaks off, too.

[AppyPappy]

one word:laser

Oh yeah. Everyone has one of those.

[Lunatic Fringe]

It was on fire from the start and exploded over Texas.

DUH! The shuttle is engulfed in flames almost from the moment it hits the atmosphere.