Cosmic 'Bolt from Blue' Probed in Space Shuttle Disaster !

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 2/7/2003 | Sabin Russell

[ex-Texan]

Federal scientists are looking for evidence that a bolt of electricity in the upper atmosphere might have doomed the space shuttle Columbia as it streaked over California, The Chronicle has learned.

Investigators are combing records from a network of ultra-sensitive instruments that might have detected a faint thunderclap in the upper atmosphere at the same time a photograph taken by a San Francisco astronomer appears to show a purplish bolt of lightning striking the shuttle.

[ex-Texan]

A 'Celestial Thunderclap' sounds about right to me ... but don't expect me to explain what happened.

[yooper]

"...they are downplaying the theory that foam insulation falling from the shuttle's extra tank may have contributed to the shuttle's demise."

Of course they are. "I swear to God that it was a Sprite."

NASA was in radio contact with the shuttle throughout. Had the commander experienced this phenomenon he would have said so. If the Sprite had occurred during the last radio transmission, NASA should have heard it. Maybe they did, and they're not talking about it. As for my own prognosis, I believe that the wing damage scenario is much more likely than a Sprite. The evidence as currently known points heavily in that direction, a direction that NASA officials would sooner not travel.

[RossA]

What a crock of sh*t. Trying to hide their "d'oh" design and analsis from the public. Who would park their car under that external fuel tank - with debris expected to rain down on it?

[Illbay]

Maybe someone on the Shuttle had been really naughty.

[Illbay]

What, someone threw a soft drink can out the window during launch? First I've heard of it.

[jlogajan]

Trying to hide their "d'oh" design and analsis from the public.

Oh put your tinfoil away for a while. It'd be far easier for NASA to jump to the foam explanation, make some "fix" and get on with it. They're doing due diligence by looking at other possible causes -- so as to get at the real cause -- whatever it is.

[afz400]

Calling John Lovitz - "Bolt from the blue! That's the ticket!"

[HighWheeler]

"It'd be far easier for NASA to jump to the foam explanation, make some "fix" and get on with it. They're doing due diligence by looking at other possible causes -- so as to get at the real cause -- whatever it is."

I disagree with your assessment.

NASA dropped the most obvious cause - a huge piece of the tank's foam hitting the left wing - on the day after NASA said they were considering it.

Then we immediately get one BS cause after the next: Meteorite. Space junk impact. Sprite. These would have only be part of actual DD if NASA brought these up for consideration at the same time as the foam. It's too late, especially now after NASAs attempt to bury the foam problem.

What is the difference between The Foam Cause and all these other "possible causes"? The foam pins the blame directly on NASA incompetence, the other causes release them from blame.

The cat's out of the bag. The 1997 report by NASA engineer Greg Katnik is a virtual indictment of both NASA and their PC foam.

[MonroeDNA]

Do not look at the man behind the curtain!

BTW, I wonder how the CFC-based ("Let's go back to the older glue") adhesive replacement program is going. You gotta know, it is being done right now.

"Gee, we used inferior glue, even though we were exempt? Three times as many tile incedents occured after? Let's just kinda go back to the original glue, and don't tell a soul!"

"Whatever you do, don't tell them that such-and-such pushed this down our throats. You will be unemployed sooo fast!"

"It was blue darts, we swear!"

[jimkress]

Klatu was serious after all ...

[TLBSHOW]

If they go with this then it will have to be called an act of God! That is what my insurance company said to me today!

[Robert_Paulson2]

Russia... particle weapon, and a lucky shot at that.

Watch for us to splash a few commie satellites, "oh my what happened?" style in the next month. week?

satellite wars... coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

[plain talk]

I think some wannabe "scientists" here ought to calm down and let the inspectors, er I mean experts, "do their work" before jumping to conclusions. Nothing here. Move along.

[Centurion2000]

Oh brother .... you know the Arabs will point to this and say "SEE, ALLAH STRUCK IT FROM THE SKIES" type proclamations

[Pay now bill Clinton]

Oh brother .... you know the Arabs will point to this and say "SEE, ALLAH STRUCK IT FROM THE SKIES" type proclamations

If there had been a muslim on board, and/or it had been a Russian Soyuz vehicle -- how much you wanna bet that folks here would be saying the same thing? ("an act of God")

[ex-Texan]

'Katu, barata, nicto' ...

[Thinkin' Gal]

CELESTIAL THUNDERCLAP

Revelation 10:1-4

1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

[We Happy Few]

'Katu, barata, nicto' ...

I thought it was "Klatu, barata, nictu"

Remember the mysterious and short-lived 1970s band called "Klatu" that was rumored to be the reunited Beatles?

And what was the name of the actor who said these words, and to whom did he say them?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

You assume that the commander would have known they had been hit and you are assuming that NASA would have heard it. Since the space shuttle was traveling at 18 times the speed of sound when it broke apart, I doubt anyone would have heard it.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Most obvious doesn't mean that's what caused it.