Space Shuttle Columbia goes missing on landing

Tim Ranker

A piece of the external fuel tank came off and nicked the wing. From Fox News: "Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, had assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard".

KaRl

Thanks. it might have damaged the ceramic coating, perhaps

Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop

Heinz R Vahlbruch

My heart goes out to the family of the crew members :rose: It's a terrible tragedy, just like the Challenger in 1986. Of course there will be a delay in NASA manned spaceflight programs, there will be a political issue too but I don't think they will abandon the shuttle flights. They are the only way to bring up astronauts to the ISS and that international station will be finished. But from now on all staff working on the ISS will remember what price has to be paid ...

heinz r. vahlbruch

If IntelliSense doesn't have it, it ain't worth calling - Anonymous

Marc Clifton

As far as it turning political, you have already started turning it into a political issue. Yes, you're right. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka

Marc Clifton

The external tank is coated with a very, very lightweight heat and flame retardant foam. I've actually held the stuff. It seems to me and my unscientific reasoning, that this is unlikely to have damaged the wing. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka

Nish Nishant

I hope someone wont start thinking this is Iraq behind it :( Nish

Author of the romantic comedy Summer Love and Some more Cricket [New Win] Review by Shog9 Click here for review[NW]

Giles

Very sad. This is not good for the ISS. I can imagine this will either put the space shuttle out of use for a while or all together.

Chris Maunder

Not Iraq, but the reporters are doing their best to keep mentioning the 'T' word. cheers, Chris Maunder

Nish Nishant

Chris Maunder wrote: Not Iraq, but the reporters are doing their best to keep mentioning the 'T' word. I think for once they should actually uncover a terrorist racket and find americans, brits and israilites behind it. Then they'll stop thinking of stereotyping countries and associating them with terrorism. Terrorism is not something that is to be associated with cultures or countries, it's just something bad that can develop in any group of people with a perverted and damaged mind set. Nish

Author of the romantic comedy Summer Love and Some more Cricket [New Win] Review by Shog9 Click here for review[NW]

Anna Jayne Metcalfe

At a high enough speed, you'd be surprised how much damage it could do. Anna :rose: www.annasplace.me.uk

"Be yourself - not what others think you should be"
- Marcia Graesch

Trouble with resource IDs? Try the Resource ID Organiser Add-In for Visual C++

Tim Ranker

It was two hundred thousand feet up going Mach 6. I don't think any intelligent person would think that.

Nish Nishant

Tim Ranker wrote: It was two hundred thousand feet up going Mach 6. I don't think any intelligent person would think that. Well online media persons have never been known for their intelligence for one thing. And for another one of the crew can be accused of being a terrorist. Luckily there weren't any muslims on board, else you'd have seen the drastic difference in approach taken by the media. Nish

Author of the romantic comedy Summer Love and Some more Cricket [New Win] Review by Shog9 Click here for review[NW]

Stuart van Weele

Maximilien wrote: There's goes the shuttle program, and probably general space exploration for a long while! and NASA will have a hard time recuperating! Not while we have Iraq and North Korea to contend with. The shuttle is the only thing we have that can lift heavy spy satellites into orbit. I hope this diaster puts enough pressure on NASA / DOD to replace the shuttles with something safer and more modern.

Tim Ranker

Nishant S wrote: Luckily there weren't any muslims on board, else you'd have seen the drastic difference in approach taken by the media. What are you trying to say? The US media would try to blame the muslim? As a 7th generation US citizen, I can honestly say that I beleive most Americans would not think of trying to pin the blame on the muslim. The liberal world media on the other hand, does not accuratley reflect the true sincerity and feelings of the "typical American". We are not as stupid and paranoid as the media tends to portray us. Kind regards, Tim

Maximilien

Nishant S wrote: I hope someone wont start thinking this is Iraq behind it Iraq might, they may say it is Allah's way of punishing USA! Max.

Rob Graham

Well said. Very few Americans would jump to blame Islam or anyone just because of his faith. The idiot news readers and their talking head cohorts, on the other hand, will use any incitement to stir up interest. CNN, for instance, did not even have the courtesy to mention the tragic loss this brings to India, but an Isreali gets a front page link... :(( Some ideas are so stupid that only an intellectual could have thought of them - George Orwell

Jason Hooper

I was at work when I found out about this event. It hit me really hard; I grabbed my cell phone and ran outside to phone my mother whom I knew was near an internet terminal. It was then that I found out my grandfather died this morning, half an hour before this accident. Difficult morning for me :/ - Jason (SonorkID 100.611) The Code Project - Orange makes the art grow fonder

James T Johnson

Jason Hooper wrote: It was then that I found out my grandfather died this morning, half an hour before this accident. My condolences to you and your family. James

Marc Clifton

I was wondering about that. I had first assumed that the impact occurred within seconds of liftoff when the velocity was still small, but reading various reports now, it appears to have impacted much later and at much greated velocity. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka

KaRl

it's sadly obvious they will say that, and some others too :(

Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop