This is a very sad for America. Although This shuttle was the oldest, that should not be a factor since there have been at least 2 if not 3 complete system overhauls since the start of the shuttle program. That is not to say that NASA has the most advanced computers. Because of the radiation in space (which can mess up transistors) a long process of hardening takes place before a computer can opperate in space, so multiple old processors are linked together to perform operationl tasks. I suspect that a substantual anount of tiles came loose the heat then ignited some combustable material, and the rest is history.
On that video that keeps replaying, you see this large white thing break off and wall downward, away from the streaking shuttle. Is that the tail? A wing? Part of a wing?
:eek:
Just seconds after that is that initial bright flare and then you start to see other pieces break away and eventually the large flare breaks into several smaller streaking chunks, each with their own smoke trail.
So sad.
Freakier even is the closeness in time to the Challenger explosion (which, by the way, was memorialized by this crew in space a few days ago). Add to THAT, the 1967 Apollo launchpad fire that killed astronauts White, Chaffe and Grissom during a training exercise. That happend January 27.
The three worst things that have ever happened to our nation's space program have all happened within a 5 day span. Think about that: of all the decades this has been going on, of all the days in a single year, of all the flights, of all the training exercises, of all the other missions, etc. Could've happened any other time on any other missions. This one-week cluster of horrible events.
If I ran NASA, just to avoid tempting fate and "asking for it", I don't think I'd ever schedule another mission for January.
<strong>If I ran NASA, just to avoid tempting fate and "asking for it", I don't think I'd ever schedule another mission for January.</strong><hr></blockquote>
<strong>On that video that keeps replaying, you see this large white thing break off and wall downward, away from the streaking shuttle. Is that the tail? A wing? Part of a wing?
:eek:
Just seconds after that is that initial bright flare and then you start to see other pieces break away and eventually the large flare breaks into several smaller streaking chunks, each with their own smoke trail.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
plasma bloom and vapourization combine with contrail to make all the pieces "white" as they re-enter... don't think it's possible to label any fragments as particular colour or component from the video i've seen so far
[quote]<strong>
So sad.
Freakier even is the closeness in time to the Challenger explosion (which, by the way, was memorialized by this crew in space a few days ago). Add to THAT, the 1967 Apollo launchpad fire that killed astronauts White, Chaffe and Grissom during a training exercise. That happend January 27.
The three worst things that have ever happened to our nation's space program have all happened within a 5 day span. Think about that: of all the decades this has been going on, of all the days in a single year, of all the flights, of all the training exercises, of all the other missions, etc. Could've happened any other time on any other missions. This one-week cluster of horrible events.
If I ran NASA, just to avoid tempting fate and "asking for it", I don't think I'd ever schedule another mission for January.</strong><hr></blockquote>
this exact coincidence of Jan 27/28 disasters was raised recently... mariners are superstitious folk at times... spacefarers ride the sky in ships... the bell on the ISS is tolling
surreal to hear the replay of Columbia's Tribute to Challenger/Apollo from earlier this mission
it's not that NASA won't fly this week in future, but i'd bet the january shift is double staffed for a few years
hopefully the result of this tragedy is a commitment to develop new technologies for spaceflight that INCREASE our explorations
the best memorial and method of recovery is a renewed vow to safely go back to space, go farther and stay longer, and go more often
bah...i bet if i was awake i could have heard the sonic boom. there are reports from all over texas of people hearing this thing. i can't believe i slept through this! i hate this...
NASA is one of the things that i have always looked up to and always hoped to have the opportunity of joining...
well at least buzz aldrin is trying to get people to not give up on the space program. i sure as hell hope things go on.
i'm sorry, but watching this broadcast from johnson space center, where i've gone many times before, it's hitting me hard...
I live right around where this took place. I didn't hear it, but a friend of mine did...he said it rumbled his house. We went to the Ballpark in Arlington for opening day tickets, and while we had a good time, the mood out here is obviously very somber. It is truly a sad day.
By the way, are there any reports of anyone (or any structures) on the ground that were harmed by any falling debris?
I've seen pieces lying on roadways and parking lots, 2-4 feet wide in some cases.
It's a miracle nobody was conked in the head by some of this stuff.
They show a cow pasture in Fort Worth with a fairly large and smoldering section of blackened land. There are investigators and cows milling around the site. Makes me wonder if there were any cows standing there when that thing hit?
There was footage of a piece about the size of a shoebox on the roof of someone's house (how it didn't blast through and go on straight to the cellar is beyond me).
I hear now that the debris is being located over five states.
<strong>Why? What's wrong with Dan Rather today?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Do you remember how silly and weird he was acting on election night 2000? Shades of that.
He's just an odd bird: what he says, how he says it, his mannerisms, metaphors, quirky pauses, dramatic flourishes, stammers, deer in the headlights facial expressions, quivering lip, either on the verge of tears/indignation OR eulogizing in very lofty terms (and mangling that as bad as anything Dubya ever has), asks far-out/leading questions to various on-air guests, states the obvious, ignores the vague, fills space and dead-air in the clumsiest of manners, etc.
Just a huge difference compared to the other guys on the other channels. He just stands out a bit in his ways.
Oh, I thought you were talking about today. I didn't realize you were putting the man down generally speaking as well.
Anyway, Dan Rather's the best. Much better than any anchor on NBC or ABC. Although I like to think that intelligent news anchors went out when Walter Cronkite retired. That much we can agree on.
I AM talking about today. But thanks for filling in the gaps I never intended.
As a frame of reference - since you asked - I said the way he acted on election night (bizarre commentary and all). Although, to his credit, he's not mentioned anything about cafeteria Jell-o today.
He's simply acting like some of these local 20-something reporters who has never spent much time in front of a camera, that's all. He's been around since the invention of dirt, but you'd never know it by today.
The people on ABC, NBC, MSNBC, Fox and CNN are all quite different. But don't take my word for it...turn on the TV and confirm for yourself.
<strong>Although I like to think that intelligent news anchors went out when Walter Cronkite retired. That much we can agree on.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well I don't know. I missed the bulk of his career and he retired a while ago and I wasn't exactly watching his broadcast every night. I'm not quite sure where you acquired such a Cronkite admiration from since he was probably mostly out of the picture by then.
Of the three networks, I like Jennings the best, then Brokaw.
I don't know enough about Cronkite to respond one way or the other. He's a legend, but I was a kid (or not even born) during his heyday.
FYI, Paul, there was some footage of a house on fire in Texas that was reported to have been started by falling debris. It was either on NBC or CNN, but they haven't followed up yet.
Comments
:eek:
Just seconds after that is that initial bright flare and then you start to see other pieces break away and eventually the large flare breaks into several smaller streaking chunks, each with their own smoke trail.
So sad.
Freakier even is the closeness in time to the Challenger explosion (which, by the way, was memorialized by this crew in space a few days ago). Add to THAT, the 1967 Apollo launchpad fire that killed astronauts White, Chaffe and Grissom during a training exercise. That happend January 27.
The three worst things that have ever happened to our nation's space program have all happened within a 5 day span. Think about that: of all the decades this has been going on, of all the days in a single year, of all the flights, of all the training exercises, of all the other missions, etc. Could've happened any other time on any other missions. This one-week cluster of horrible events.
If I ran NASA, just to avoid tempting fate and "asking for it", I don't think I'd ever schedule another mission for January.
<strong>If I ran NASA, just to avoid tempting fate and "asking for it", I don't think I'd ever schedule another mission for January.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Coincidence.
<strong>
post in the right forum much?
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
<a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=003737"; target="_blank">Look here.</a>
It's relevant.
I have no TV, so I just read this here right now.
I'm sad. I'll mourn.
Shit.
At first I thought it was a joke, but then I saw the coverage on cnn.com and others (your links). I thought someone was messing it up with Challenger.
Man, man ! why ? My prayers and thoughts are with the families of the astronauts and with the souls of the astronauts themselves.
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" />
<strong>On that video that keeps replaying, you see this large white thing break off and wall downward, away from the streaking shuttle. Is that the tail? A wing? Part of a wing?
:eek:
Just seconds after that is that initial bright flare and then you start to see other pieces break away and eventually the large flare breaks into several smaller streaking chunks, each with their own smoke trail.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
plasma bloom and vapourization combine with contrail to make all the pieces "white" as they re-enter... don't think it's possible to label any fragments as particular colour or component from the video i've seen so far
[quote]<strong>
So sad.
Freakier even is the closeness in time to the Challenger explosion (which, by the way, was memorialized by this crew in space a few days ago). Add to THAT, the 1967 Apollo launchpad fire that killed astronauts White, Chaffe and Grissom during a training exercise. That happend January 27.
The three worst things that have ever happened to our nation's space program have all happened within a 5 day span. Think about that: of all the decades this has been going on, of all the days in a single year, of all the flights, of all the training exercises, of all the other missions, etc. Could've happened any other time on any other missions. This one-week cluster of horrible events.
If I ran NASA, just to avoid tempting fate and "asking for it", I don't think I'd ever schedule another mission for January.</strong><hr></blockquote>
this exact coincidence of Jan 27/28 disasters was raised recently... mariners are superstitious folk at times... spacefarers ride the sky in ships... the bell on the ISS is tolling
surreal to hear the replay of Columbia's Tribute to Challenger/Apollo from earlier this mission
it's not that NASA won't fly this week in future, but i'd bet the january shift is double staffed for a few years
hopefully the result of this tragedy is a commitment to develop new technologies for spaceflight that INCREASE our explorations
the best memorial and method of recovery is a renewed vow to safely go back to space, go farther and stay longer, and go more often
ad luna, ad ares, ad astra
a sad week, but a chance to change the future
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: curiousuburb ]</p>
i just woke up 30 minutes ago...to this shit!
bah...i bet if i was awake i could have heard the sonic boom. there are reports from all over texas of people hearing this thing. i can't believe i slept through this! i hate this...
NASA is one of the things that i have always looked up to and always hoped to have the opportunity of joining...
well at least buzz aldrin is trying to get people to not give up on the space program. i sure as hell hope things go on.
i'm sorry, but watching this broadcast from johnson space center, where i've gone many times before, it's hitting me hard...
what a terrible feeling they must be experiencing...
America will go through this again.
America will not be stopped.
Deepest, deepest sympathies to the Astronaut's families, my fellow Americans, and to the people of Israel.
Aries 1B
What a doddering trainwreck of an anchorperson.
:eek:
<strong>On a somewhat related (and, hopefully, lighter) note: could SOMEONE yank Dan Rather off the air ASAP?
What a doddering trainwreck of an anchorperson.
:eek: </strong><hr></blockquote>
agreed.
<Switching Back to NBC>
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: FormerLurker ]</p>
I've seen pieces lying on roadways and parking lots, 2-4 feet wide in some cases.
It's a miracle nobody was conked in the head by some of this stuff.
They show a cow pasture in Fort Worth with a fairly large and smoldering section of blackened land. There are investigators and cows milling around the site. Makes me wonder if there were any cows standing there when that thing hit?
There was footage of a piece about the size of a shoebox on the roof of someone's house (how it didn't blast through and go on straight to the cellar is beyond me).
I hear now that the debris is being located over five states.
:eek:
<strong>Why? What's wrong with Dan Rather today?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Do you remember how silly and weird he was acting on election night 2000? Shades of that.
He's just an odd bird: what he says, how he says it, his mannerisms, metaphors, quirky pauses, dramatic flourishes, stammers, deer in the headlights facial expressions, quivering lip, either on the verge of tears/indignation OR eulogizing in very lofty terms (and mangling that as bad as anything Dubya ever has), asks far-out/leading questions to various on-air guests, states the obvious, ignores the vague, fills space and dead-air in the clumsiest of manners, etc.
Just a huge difference compared to the other guys on the other channels. He just stands out a bit in his ways.
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
Anyway, Dan Rather's the best.
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: ShawnPatrickJoyce ]</p>
As a frame of reference - since you asked - I said the way he acted on election night (bizarre commentary and all). Although, to his credit, he's not mentioned anything about cafeteria Jell-o today.
He's simply acting like some of these local 20-something reporters who has never spent much time in front of a camera, that's all. He's been around since the invention of dirt, but you'd never know it by today.
The people on ABC, NBC, MSNBC, Fox and CNN are all quite different. But don't take my word for it...turn on the TV and confirm for yourself.
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
<strong>Although I like to think that intelligent news anchors went out when Walter Cronkite retired. That much we can agree on.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well I don't know. I missed the bulk of his career and he retired a while ago and I wasn't exactly watching his broadcast every night. I'm not quite sure where you acquired such a Cronkite admiration from since he was probably mostly out of the picture by then.
Of the three networks, I like Jennings the best, then Brokaw.
I don't know enough about Cronkite to respond one way or the other. He's a legend, but I was a kid (or not even born) during his heyday.
[spelling]
[ 02-01-2003: Message edited by: BuonRotto ]</p>
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
<a href="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/prewwii/jgm.htm"; target="_blank">John Gillespie Magee, Jr.</a>