Space Shuttle Columbia Explodes

Fenna · Post by **Fenna** » February 1, 2003, 11:51 am

Oh man, this is terrible.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... ttle_x.htm

Fash · Post by **Fash** » February 1, 2003, 12:00 pm

Jesalynn · Post by **Jesalynn** » February 1, 2003, 12:06 pm

Woke up and saw this on the tele, very sad, I feel bad for their families. Have they said where it landed yet?

Revs · Post by **Revs** » February 1, 2003, 12:23 pm

16 minutes away from landing and now this

Taly · Post by **Taly** » February 1, 2003, 12:32 pm

Very sad indeed

Homercles · Post by **Homercles** » February 1, 2003, 12:39 pm

Woke up to find this terrible news. Absolutely devastating.

Laliana · Post by **Laliana** » February 1, 2003, 12:58 pm

Very sad.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · February 1, 2003, 1:01 pm

another terrible day in America

Post by **Xouqoa** » February 1, 2003, 1:14 pm

god

this is exactly why NASA needs better funding.. what the fuck do they expect to happen eventually when you're using decrepit, old ass shuttles that are almost 25 years old. Commercial airliners aren't even flown for more than 20 years usually before they are retired.

I'm kinda conflicted between being very upset (not at NASA so much as at the government for giving them a shoestring budget) and very sad for the losses of the astronauts.

Shaerra · Post by **Shaerra** » February 1, 2003, 1:17 pm

My mom and I heard the explosion an hour ago. There are pieces of it all over Texas.

Soreali · Post by **Soreali** » February 1, 2003, 1:29 pm

this sucks.

Jesalynn · Post by **Jesalynn** » February 1, 2003, 1:30 pm

I do agree in that some of our shuttles are rather old, but to listen to NASA officials, they routinely "upgrade" them and outfit them enough that they are supposedly safe and like new. Unfortunately though, that doesn't really take into effect the structural problems and such you get from heavy use on any vehicle, especially one that goes to space nonetheless.

Space was one of those fads for us I think, we spent a lot of money trying to beat the USSR, trying to be numero uno, but I think after awhile routine Americans, and the government, kinda grew tired of the whole thing, and thus NASA's funding started to dry up over time. I think we'll see another spark of renewed interest for awhile after this accident, and maybe the older shuttles will be replaced with newer, hopefully safer ones. Yes, I wanted to be an astronaut as a little girl, I went to space camp in Huntsville and all that

Post by **Xouqoa** » February 1, 2003, 1:37 pm

Jesalynn wrote:I do agree in that some of our shuttles are rather old, but to listen to NASA officials, they routinely "upgrade" them and outfit them enough that they are supposedly safe and like new. Unfortunately though, that doesn't really take into effect the structural problems and such you get from heavy use on any vehicle, especially one that goes to space nonetheless.

It's an old design, though. If NASA had a proper budget, they could design a new, much safer takeoff/landing system. In fact, they had several prototypes under development, but I believe had to stop working on them because of budget cutbacks.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » February 1, 2003, 1:46 pm

I hope it spurs more funding or a reorganization.. I would like to see parts of nasa privatized.

Phugg_Innay · Post by **Phugg_Innay** » February 1, 2003, 2:11 pm

Sorry Fash , there is No real way to privitize Nasa , it would never be a cost effective venture (cept maybe for Bill Gates). The cost alone of launching 1 Shuttle are beyond astounding , and Nobody would use it. Why do you think corperate America goes to China to do a lot of satalite launches ? It's not because they like the launch patterns.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » February 1, 2003, 2:12 pm

Sabek · Post by **Sabek** » February 1, 2003, 2:16 pm

A horrible tragedy not long after the aniversery of the last shuttle explosion.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » February 1, 2003, 2:24 pm

The Apollo fire anniversary was Monday, as well.

I'm still having a hard time believing this is really happening. Most of my life my family depended on the space program. I fear that it will never recover after this. I am sad beyond all words. They were TRUE heros.

noel · Post by **noel** » February 1, 2003, 2:33 pm

I can't believe this has happened again. This is horrible. My sympathies to the families and friends of the astronauts, and also for our country.

For the country that won the 'space race', it would seem we'd take better care of our astronauts, and our commitment to the significance or our current space program.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » February 1, 2003, 2:57 pm

It is so hard to engineer perfection.

Adelrune Argenti · Post by **Adelrune Argenti** » February 1, 2003, 3:30 pm

The brutal truth of all this is that every time they go up in the shuttle, the crew members are taking their lives in their hands. They place themselves in danger to advance all of us. These are true heros and their bravery and commitment to the ideal of exploration is something that I respect greatly. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends. I hope that those that follow in their footsteps honor and remember this and the Challenger mission and what they stood for.

kurzweil · Post by **kurzweil** » February 1, 2003, 3:33 pm

NASA needs a better (newer) shuttle. What ever happened to all the space plane research that was going on? Developing a new reentry vehicle?

Just heard on CNN that the last telemetry had the shuttle at Mach 18!

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » February 1, 2003, 3:42 pm

Accidents happen no matter how safe things are designed. Those on board knew the risks and were willing to accept them.

I just hope this isn't used as another rallying cry for us to stop spending time and money going up there although I know it will be.

It's a sad day.

kurzweil · Post by **kurzweil** » February 1, 2003, 3:45 pm

I just hope the ISS doesn't get mothballed because of this.

Sparck · Post by **Sparck** » February 1, 2003, 4:10 pm

My heart goes out to the familes of the crew members. A very sad day indeed.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » February 1, 2003, 4:11 pm

Keep in mind that what you see is only the outside shell.

They modernize the insides of the shuttle frequently as technology advances.

That shuttle was top of the line.

The cost politically and finacially, of failure is so great, they inspect those shuttles inside and out between launches.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » February 1, 2003, 4:17 pm

They inspect so much crap and have so many checklists, simulations, and experiments... They are extremely detailed and they do an amazing job.

Accidents do happen and while it is tragic 7 peoples lives ended, their families lives hurt, and billions in equipment was lost... it's ok. They signed up for the most dangerous expeditions man has ever taken. They trained and practiced and successfully did all their tasks in space. They didn't make it back. It's no ones fault.

We appreciate their service and loyalty, but we gotta move on and keep at it, casualties happen, but they do not die in vain.

kurzweil · Post by **kurzweil** » February 1, 2003, 4:34 pm

Somebody slap that female announcer on CNN! She just called the ISS the "russian space station" !!!

Shaerra · Post by **Shaerra** » February 1, 2003, 6:55 pm

There are all these "First Responder" HazMat trucks driving around Dallas. They are painted like the American flag and are towing trailers painted like American flags. Every time I see one I wonder if part of the shuttle is in the trailer.

Edit: Also earlier I heard them talking about people not reporting shuttle pieces, and that NASA still to this day is tracking down and prosecuting assholes who are selling pieces of the Challenger on Ebay.

Karae · Post by **Karae** » February 1, 2003, 7:07 pm

Budget cuts are probably a cause in this tragic accident, but accidents will happen, regardless of funding.

As the Russian space program has shown, there is quite a lot of demand for space travel - people willing to pay millions of dollars to do so. Corporate America goes to China to launch satellites because they can launch more sophisticated satellites there than they are allowed to launch here. Privatization is very possible. At the very least it would help to offset the budget cuts.

JloveFizzboom · Post by **JloveFizzboom** » February 1, 2003, 8:47 pm

This is very a sad thing - without question.

Maybe throwing more money into the program is a possible answer, but maybe not. Lets not forget how the program itself was put on hold for SO long after the Challenger, while every tiny bit of the shuttle was tested and re-engineered. I am not an expert on this subject, but I have got to think that these folks place a very high priority on safety.

A simple fact we can't forget when thinking about this is that space travel is VERY dangerous -- inherently. The forces involved, the material stress, the absolutely incredible speeds, etc etc make for a situation in which one minute variance or error in even a "minor" subsystem can easily mean catastrophe. Military aircraft crash every year for similar reasons.

My hope for the program is a successful investigation and fix for any flaw in design, and a speedy return to the important missions these brave people undertake.

/salute

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » February 1, 2003, 10:04 pm

A terrible tragedy for the families and friends of the astronauts as well as Nasa.

I have to admit I was surprised when I heard the shuttle's first flight had been in 1981. Upgraded or not, that's quite a long time ago.

miir · Post by **miir** » February 1, 2003, 10:38 pm

I don't mean to sound uncaring, but why is such a big deal being made out of this?

Space flight has inherant risks.
Nasa has an exceptional track record in safety.

Earlier this week, 4 American soldiers lost thier lives in a Blackhawk crash in Afghanistan... it was not even reported by most media. Today 7 astronauts lose thier lives in a shuttle accident and it's deemed a 'disaster'.

The fucking media has such a perverse way of manipulating people.
I don't want to see 8 fucking hours of coverage of a space shuttle accident. What about the 6 people in BC who lost thier lives in a terrible avalanche today? They got a 15 second mention on Canadian newscasts.

*Shrug*

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » February 1, 2003, 10:40 pm

because astronauts are looked up to as heroes and space travel is still romanticized.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · February 1, 2003, 10:48 pm

kyoukan type-R wrote:because astronauts are looked up to as heroes and space travel is still romanticized.

Yuppers.

Brotha · Post by **Brotha** » February 1, 2003, 11:16 pm

Here's something interesting that I just read:

http://www.observer.co.uk/international ... 36,00.html

Keverian FireCry · Post by **Keverian FireCry** » February 1, 2003, 11:28 pm

NASA is a really great program, IMO, but its also extremely expensive and that money given to NASA could go a long way here on earth rather than being launched into space.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » February 2, 2003, 12:12 am

Adex_Xeda wrote:It is so hard to engineer perfection.

exactly.

NASA is amazing. the stuff they do is the hardest and most complicated stuff that anybody on the planet does. and they get it right 99%+ of the time.

Ford can't even get automobiles right that often, and that is 110+ year old technology.

i'm glad Bush and every congressional rep i've seen interviewed has been 110% supportive of NASA. can't waste all the efforts of all these great people over the last 40+ years.

Mezzmor · Post by **Mezzmor** » February 2, 2003, 1:30 am

Well said Voro.

One of the not so known (or discussed) facts about a "routine" trip to (yawn) orbit the earth in the space shuttle:

There are almost 1,800 parts on the space shuttle that mean catastrophe for the vehicle if ANY of them fail in flight. And that is not itemizing each of the heat resistant tiles either.

Instead of wondering how its possible that this happened...we should probably give credit to these engineers and marvel at the fact that we have only lost 2 vehicles and 14 people in the last 22 years.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » February 2, 2003, 1:34 am

Well I had my dosage of reality tonight.

I drove through Palistine on the way to Tyler tonight.

Seeing it on TV shocks you.

Personally seeing a group of people gathered around a spent ember stuns you.

My relatives in the area of Waco heard the noise. I saw some taped off areas.

Its just like you're standing on the tip of a needle. Anything short of perfection and you plummet from the sky.

So fierce is the pentality for imperfection. I don't see how those NASA guys could stand it, day to day.

How do they deal with such pressure?

Millie · Post by **Millie** » February 2, 2003, 2:49 am

Adex_Xeda wrote:So fierce is the pentality for imperfection. I don't see how those NASA guys could stand it, day to day.

How do they deal with such pressure?

It's a very sobering thought, indeed. If air traffic controllers at major airports are stressed out all the time, just think how tense it must be monitoring and guiding a space shuttle launch. One small error, and you could potentially destroy a handful of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment.

Bratly · Post by **Bratly** » February 2, 2003, 9:03 am

Xouqoa wrote:god

this is exactly why NASA needs better funding...

1st off, my heart goes out to the familys who lost a someone in that tragic event., but with that said....

better funding? wtf? what the fuck do we need to send people into space for? We displayed how big our dick was by beating russia to the moon, they should of scraped the space program right after that. I dont believe that we as tax payers should shell out billions to nasa to send our people into space.. i think that money could be better spent on the homless, elderly, social security.. i am sure the cost of that suhttle would of put food in OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of peoples stomach or give medication/healthcare to OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of sick people...

just my $0.02

-brad

edit... spelling

Krimson Klaw · Post by **Krimson Klaw** » February 2, 2003, 9:50 am

Bratly wrote: just my $0.02

Yea, that's about what it was worth.

Bratly · Post by **Bratly** » February 2, 2003, 10:37 am

Krimson Klaw wrote:
Bratly wrote: just my $0.02

Yea, that's about what it was worth.

so.. tell me how you can justify the billions being dumped into the space program, or are you just a afterbirth of a lesbian cluster fuck that saw a chance to flame and posted that lil crap post?

-brad

Krimson Klaw · Post by **Krimson Klaw** » February 2, 2003, 10:50 am

I am sure someone like you asked the same of the Queen of Spain when she funded the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Scientific research and progress. But I still would like to think I am the latter of the question you posed to me.

Bratly · Post by **Bratly** » February 2, 2003, 11:08 am

Krimson Klaw wrote:I am sure someone like you asked the same of the Queen of Spain when she funded the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Scientific research and progress. But I still would like to think I am the latter of the question you posed to me.

Yup, your right.. Since we have all about killed earth, i guess it would be great to move to this new planet... what does nasa call it..... NOT FUCKING THERE? You can keep your starwars/trek dreams... but again, how can you say that the space program is worth the billions wasted on it every year. I still say there is OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of better things to spend that kind of cash on... i am done on this subject.. again I am sorry for what happened, but it should of never happened..

-brad

Krimson Klaw · Post by **Krimson Klaw** » February 2, 2003, 11:29 am

Bratly wrote: i am done on this subject..

Sweet

Phugg_Innay · Post by **Phugg_Innay** » February 2, 2003, 12:38 pm

My Condolences to all the families affected. My take on this mishap is a bit of an inside one. 22 years and no real errors was a great record. For 9 years I worked in a testing enviroment for the Air Force and the Navy after that. I knew many many pilots who would put thier life o the line every day they took off. They dont do this for glory , but instead in hopes that if the perrish , it will not be in vain. In 91 I got to fly in a G-2 Shuttle simulator. We would cliimb to 40k ft and reverse the thrust and fall to earth with No power at all. I have the Utmost respect for all the test pilots and astronauts I have ever met in my short life. The chances are so small that something will happen , but the downside is , that very small chance means your life and the others onboard could be gone. My deepest thoughts and prayers go out to all who put thier lives on the line daily.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » February 2, 2003, 1:44 pm

kyoukan type-R wrote:because astronauts are looked up to as heroes and space travel is still romanticized.

And there's nothing wrong with that. In this mostly hellhole of a world, I'll give astronauts a little romanticizing. That's not to say that plenty of other professions and people shouldn't be paid more attention to as well. Explorers have always been given extra attention. I personally want to know more about space and respect the astronauts for risking their lives to give us that information. A combination of manned and unmanned space explorations is worth what we pay and can be used to rally behind as something positive in the world.

Bratly wins the pilsburry dipshit award for this thread.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » February 2, 2003, 1:59 pm

As predicted, only a matter of time till the morons come out.

Bratly, get a clue. The research done in space has advanced our understanding of technology, the human body, disease, and a multitude of other things. Look it up http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/. If you think space exploration is nothing but dick-waving, you are misinformed.

And yes, they are heroes. They risk their lives NOT WITH THE INTENT OF KILLING OTHERS, but with the intent in peaceably furthering the human race. THAT is a bigger hero in my book.