The space shuttle columbia seems to have just exploded.

ANACONDA · January 31, 2003 10:47PM

pacmanssportscards · January 31, 2003 10:49PM

huh?

DHeath · January 31, 2003 10:50PM

Debris around Dallas I heard. Was it on re-entry? I'm at work right now and can't get the news.

MadMonk · January 31, 2003 10:51PM

Huh! Are you misbehaving Adrian? or are you serious?

JMOORE · January 31, 2003 10:51PM

Turn to CNN...

eagle7 · January 31, 2003 10:53PM

Lost it on reentry.

ANACONDA · January 31, 2003 10:54PM

I'm behaving.

kranky · January 31, 2003 10:54PM

For those who can't get to a TV right now, it broke up near Dallas on re-entry, about 200,000 feet up while going about Mach 12. Someone had video that showed that something happened but due to the altitude you can't really tell exactly what. Debris found around Palestine, TX.

ANACONDA · January 31, 2003 10:55PM

Apparently it exploded over north central texas, pretty close to Dallas. I'm off to a coin show. I over slept. Bye.

Fairlaneman · January 31, 2003 10:57PM

Very

MadMonk · January 31, 2003 10:57PM

I just checked CNN. Nasa lost contact with. Nothing else positive so far. Warning to avoid Debris if encountered.

MadMonk · January 31, 2003 10:58PM

I'm on the web, so Kranky has the best source of course.
Very sad

BSqr · January 31, 2003 11:03PM

Too sad. Prayer to family of those that were lost.

Tune to Fox News Channel

On the web - http://www.c-span.org/watch/index.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS

fcloud · January 31, 2003 11:03PM

One of the crew is from my area.

pacmanssportscards · January 31, 2003 11:06PM

omg that's awful

hookedoncoins · January 31, 2003 11:07PM

I have been watching it on the news too. I have family in Jacksonville, TX (10 minutes from palestine) so I got a phone call that woke me up. I am wondering though... is it still in the air or not? On CNN they make it sound like it is still up there, but there are just large pieces of debris falling. Can anyone clarify?

-Jarrett Roberts

LucyBop · January 31, 2003 11:07PM

Askari · January 31, 2003 11:10PM

Another sad day in the space program.

We have a news thread running over on the Open Forum. Local news interviewed a resident of Lufkin, TX which is apparently where it was over when it started going down.

coppercoins · January 31, 2003 11:30PM

Pray for the families.

Bear · January 31, 2003 11:32PM

My prayers go out to the brave souls and their families.

dwood · January 31, 2003 11:34PM

I suspect its going to be the tiles. There has been speculation since liftoff 2 weeks ago that a tile was lost during liftoff. From the video, it seems apparent that there was either an explosion, or the shield failed to deflect the heat. An explosion is less likely than the loss of a tile, given the problematic history of the tile/shield system.

I suspect this may ground the Shuttle Program for quite some time (years?). The tile system has proven to be unreliable and has been the source of almost every problem, save Challenger. A better shield must be developed, and the X33 may be brought back from obscurity to become the focus of new development. At least that is my hope. We have to keep moving forward, and we have to find better, more reliable technologies.

I have a close friend/co-worker who flew the SR-71 for years. He's always said the tile system on the Shuttles was inadequate, and that a flexible skin similar to the SR-71's was needed. This from a guy who took a "bucket of bolts" to the edge of space twice each week for 2 years. Truly, and so sadly, prophetic.

Morganluver · January 31, 2003 11:35PM

A very sad day. My prayers are with the families.

agentjim007 · January 31, 2003 11:39PM

blew up over Texas...Anaconda DUCK

twodollardon · January 31, 2003 11:51PM

My daughter is on the Boeing shuttle team in Houston. They have all been called in to start the review of possibilities. She is very close to the astronauts and is very upset. All we can do is keep the families in our prayer's..

Don

crispy · January 31, 2003 11:55PM

Shades of '86. I'm trying to explain this to my children. People tend to forget the danger associated with being in the space program. It's very sad.

Askari · February 1, 2003 12:01AM

All too often we tend to forget that after 40 years of the space program, we're still just pioneers and exploration remains a dangerous, risky endeavor.

Outhaul · February 1, 2003 12:05AM

Terribly sad...totally speechless

TomB · February 1, 2003 12:10AM

Not again...

dwood · February 1, 2003 12:28AM

Forgive my rampling on an off-topic thread, but this is my other love, and today, I am devastated.

NASA was hinting at it this morning. Please, everyone understand this is only my personal speculation, and I do follow this stuff very closely (nightly almost, when the skies are clear) but it appears to me that there definitely were some warning signs, and that the thought of a softer trajectory was at least entertained. If a tile was lost, that likely would not have made much difference, and perhaps the Shuttle was already on the softest possible trajectory anyway.

This morning's Pre-Landing Press Conference

I am very sensitive to the perception that I might be trying to lay blame here. I am not. Even if a tile was damaged during liftoff, there really is little that could be done, other than hope and pray, and carry on with the Mission (there is no possibility to return or abort until the main tank has been jettisoned, and there is no ejection scenario at any stage for the crew. The suspected tile damage occured shortly after liftoff, and well before even the primary boosters were jettisoned). What I am struggling with is the potential loss of a valuable and critical Program which has only scratched the surface of its potential and contribution to humankind and science. There will undoubtedly be the inevitable backlash from a vocal group who see the cost of the Space Program as frivolous. In my opinion, that contingent "just doesn't get it," and would have us believe still that the world is flat, because it doesn't matter if it isn't.

I was disappointed when the X33 was tabled (the X33 is "the next Space Shuttle"), and I hope our new President will now revisit and reconsider the implications, and recommit our country to continuing to pioneer space. 14 lives have now been been paid to further the shuttle program. We must repay that debt. Astronauts are a special breed, and to a person, put science ahead of everything, including their personal safety. My SR-71 buddy told me that everytime he flew, he gave himself a 40/60 chance of going home to his wife that evening, but that he had no choice but to fly. The experiments and knowledge were just that important. I'm sure this crew felt the same, and I hope we don't let them down.

NASA isn't perfect, but its the best in the world, and they're going to need support in the coming days, months, and years. They have mine. And I now have 14 names on the list ahead of my daughter's for any comet I may ever find (the discoverer gets to name the comet).

Please forgive my emotional rambling. I'm numb today.

66Tbird · February 1, 2003 12:31AM

Damm

God speed. We still have three up in the IST, so we'll be launching for them sometime soon. I remember the tile story and thought about the upcoming failure, yet the news didn't seem to worried.

Bikingnut · February 1, 2003 12:35AM

I'll be staying away today. My reqests for opinions and answers concerning coins kind of seem trivial right now.

crito · February 1, 2003 12:43AM

Very unfortunate turn of events, but the Shuttle has been carrying a lot of DoD classified cargo in recent years (according to the manifest), there's really no way to know for sure what happened (and we may never know). Wouldn't surprise me if the military took over the program entirely now. Launches used to be big media events, but you hardly hear anything about them these days. Seems like someone wants it that way

ccrdragon · February 1, 2003 12:43AM

Dam is right - I heard it go this morning (I live very close to Dallas). Was laying in bed and heard something that made the whole house shake. Got up to check but couldn't see anything. Turned on the TV and it's all over the news.

Prayers to everyone involved!

Askari · February 1, 2003 12:49AM

Oh my God!! Cecil, you just made me realize that I heard it too!!

There was a loud rumbling this morning just before I went out to get the paper. I thought a large branch had broken off of one of our big trees and hit the roof, but once outside, I couldn't see anything. I put it out of my mind until just now.

Merc · February 1, 2003 1:01AM

This is horrible. I live in central Florida and watched this one launch from my house. I am a scientist and love space so I usually stop what I'm doing and watch it launch every time. When it lands, it makes a sonic boom over my house too. They will be missed.

mommam17 · February 1, 2003 1:07AM

Program won`t be grounded for long. We have 3 men at the space station.

Tootawl · February 1, 2003 1:24AM

Doesn't the ISS have an emergency escape system built by the Russians? I rhink it's a Soyuz style capsule.

barberlover · February 1, 2003 1:43AM

From the time i remember one of the apollo rockets bursting into flames before it ever got off the ground then challenger and now this i can't help but wonder if it's worth it- by that i mean much more than the money spent on space flight, but the lives that have been lost. My wife and i were very proud to hear one of our people was on the shuttle and were looking forward to his comments about what it was like when he got back. My heart grieves for the families of the men and women that died today. I wonder what long term effect this will have on the space program and also if there will ever be [in our lifetimes] another manned space mission to another panet which hasn't happened since the apollo days ?

coppercoins · February 1, 2003 2:06AM

Stupid comments and questions heard today on TV:

1. (news anchor asking a NASA scientist) Don't they have parachutes and ejection seats? (yeah...like they can use them at 200,000 feet going mach 6. Get real.)
2. (news anchor speaking to a retired Apollo astronaut) What's re-entry like in the shuttle? (response was something to the tune of, "Don't know...never been in a shuttle." Made the anchor look really stupid.)
3. (yet another news anchor, inferring they could have survived) The cabin is built to withstand 20 Gs. (I guess he doesn't realize the human body isn't)
4. (various sources) The shuttle broke up over Palestine, Tx. (not true. Debris was found as far west as Fort Worth. Did it travel backwards?)
5. (Dan Rather looking at weather radar imagery) This is a sattelite image showing the plume... (radar = ground, sattelite = not)
6. (news anchor talking to a former shuttle crew member) When you commanded your shuttle flight... (response was something like, "First of all, I never commanded a shuttle flight." once again made the anchor look like an idiot.)

After about the first ten minutes of listening to them ramble on it becomes sickening listening to them rehash and make up stories about the same thing over and over. Can't they stick to the facts and stop trying to be experts?

nwcs · February 1, 2003 2:11AM

I remember Challenger. I hoped it would never happen again.

Tootawl · February 1, 2003 2:13AM

<< <i>From the time i remember one of the apollo rockets bursting into flames before it ever got off the ground ... >>

Apollo 1 astronaunts were performing a launch test (not the actual launch) when fire engulfed the interior of the capsule due an electric spark in the 100% oxygen environment.

dwood · February 1, 2003 2:57AM

ISS Crew 6 is scheduled to return sometime in March, with Atlantis being the recovery vehicle. It will be very interesting to see if and how NASA modifies this mission.

I've yet to hear any of the networks even mention the fact that a Shuttle is scheduled to fly again, on a recovery mission, within 45 days.

pmh1nic · February 1, 2003 3:22AM

One of the most awesome things I've every seen was the launch of Discovery in October of 2000. Even from 30 miles away the tremendous power of this exceedingly complex machine was very evident.

This is a tragedy but my guess is the individuals most closely involved in the Shuttle program, including the astronauts, had the clearest understanding of the risks and dangers. In spite of this keen understanding of the dangers they continued to pursue their intense passion to explore the mysteries of space. May God bless them and give comfort to their families.

Coppernicus · February 1, 2003 3:50AM

My prayers go out to the crew and their families. May God bless them.

CLASSICS · February 1, 2003 4:01AM

its now on t.v., a news conference at 3 pm. launched, climbed to 200.000 feet ,and then came apart

and crashed to the ground.

lclugza · February 1, 2003 4:59AM

It's a very sad day. I remember in 1986 the shuttle missions had become so routine that CBS continued with "The Price Is Right" rather than show the shuttle launch, and then Dan Rather broke in that morning to say the space shuttle had exploded. And now this morning an older, grayer Rather is on, saying the same thing. I pray for the crew member's families, and hope and pray they will find out what went wrong so it will not happen again. I hope it wasn't terrorism as that could lead to World War III! (But I can't see how a terrorist could get a plane or a missile or something similar up there.)

ScarsdaleCoin · February 1, 2003 5:11AM

sincere thoughts to the family and friends of the 7 lost...... makes you stop and think about what is really important in life....god bless

Cocoinut · February 1, 2003 5:27AM

I've been glued to the TV for 7 hours and need a break. It's a sad day for the US, Israel, and the space program. My heart goes out to all who lost loved ones.

Jim

indianabyron · February 1, 2003 6:18AM

I remember the Challanger I was 16yo. Im 32yo and now I will never forget the Columbia. It has always been a dream to be up there with them. With this happening most would think that dream would die. It hasent I would still give anything to go up with them for just 1 minute. I will never forget days like this.

In threads of pale white in the deep blue sky.
Where they go.
Where they fly.
In waking moments when the dream ends.
They left the dream in the sky.

Byron

Leftcoast · February 1, 2003 11:07AM

<< <i>My wife and i were very proud to hear one of our people was on the shuttle and were looking forward to his comments about what it was like when he got back. My heart grieves for the families of the men and women that died today. >>

I like to think there were seven of "our" people on the shuttle. Ya know, us humans. I am very proud of all "our" people and was looking forward to hearing what they all had to say.
I don't know if the couple above are black or asian or jewish (which is not a race, it's a religion) or whatever, these people supporting the ISS, are mankinds best and brightest and you should hang on every word of all of them.
Amen

crito · February 1, 2003 12:06PM

Tiles have been coming off the Shuttle since the beginning (1979), they've spent a considerable amount of time (and money) on that problem already.

The space shuttle columbia seems to have just exploded.

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