acidhd Posted February 1 Report Share Posted February 1 Space Shuttle Columbia Breaks Up Over Texas FEBRUARY 01ST, 2003The Space Shuttle Columbia, on its 28th mission and with seven astronauts aboard, broke up as it descended over central Texas about 9 a.m. Saturday. A senior U.S. official told the Associated Press that the space shuttle Columbia is "gone." The shuttle was at an altitude of 200,700 feet traveling at 12,500 miles per hour when mission control lost contact. By about 11 a.m., police in Nacogdoches, Texas, reported "numerous pieces of debris" both inside the city limits and in Nacogdoches County, an Associated Press report said. By noon, pieces of debris were scattered from the Eastern end of the state to the Dallas area. NASA officials are warning residents in Texas to stay away from the potentially deadly toxic debris. The shuttle was supposed to land at 9:16 a.m. at the shuttle launch facility in Florida. Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, was among the seven-person crew. The six other astronauts were Americans. Bush administration officials say that early indications suggest this was not a terrorist-related event. Nevertheless, Ramon's presence had led officials to increase security around the shuttle for its launch and its landing. Officials lost communication with the shuttle as it soared over Texas. Images of the ship flying in the sky showed multiple trails, suggesting that the shuttle broke into pieces. Residents as far east as Shreveport, Louisiana, reported seeing and feeling an apparent explosion, according to a CNN report. NASA officials said Saturday morning that there was no indication of trouble prior to the mishap. Reports say that a piece of foam insulation fell from the shuttle when it lifted off on January 16, and may have struck the left wing. However, a NASA official said Friday that engineers had concluded that such damage would pose no safety threat. Columbia made its inaugural flight in 1981 and was the space agency's oldest active space shuttle. Saturday's mishap appears to be the U.S. space program's worst accident since the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986, killing all seven aboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elementx Posted February 1 Report Share Posted February 1 Hey. Probably didn't see it. But there is another thread about this already... Shuttle Thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cessy Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 it was really a sad day R.I.P.!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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