shuttle columbia the oldest in the nasa orbiter fleet has lost comunications and has three seperate burning trails from video shoots on reentry route.sense 9 am et time .

nasa has declared a state of emergency



[Modified by bambooluv, 6:33 AM 2/1/2003]

 

debris all over dallas fort worth area.
as reported by nasa.man there saying its
not looking good.-pete

 

Wow...sad. I can't imagine how their family feels right now.

 

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston, Texas (CNN) -- The space shuttle Columbia, with seven astronauts aboard, broke up as it descended over central Texas Saturday toward a planned landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Search-and-rescue teams from the Dallas-Fort Worth area were alerted and area residents were urged to stay away from any possible debris from the shuttle, which may be hazardous, said NASA public affairs officer James Hartfield.

The Bush administration was preparing to convene a "domestic event" conference among all domestic and military agencies that may be involved in the next step.

An administration official said the shuttle's altitude -- over 200,000 feet -- made it "highly unlikely" that the shuttle fell victim to a terrorist act.

NASA officials said they last had contact with the shuttle about 9 a.m. EST, and it had been expected to touch down at about 9:16 a.m. EST.

Video of the shuttle tracking over Dallas showed multiple vapor trails, but NASA spokesman Kyle Herring said it was too early to determine the source.

Steve Petrovich, a police officer in Palestine, Texas, said he heard "a rumble and boom" at about 8 a.m. CDT (9 a.m. EST).

Jim Hubbs of New Boston, Texas, said he heard police discussing over a police scanner "a smoking object going southeast" that disappeared in the Bowie County area near the Arkansas state line.

Officials said no tracking data were available.

Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, was among the seven-person crew. There was no official reaction from the Israeli government, but a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said, "Like everyone else, we are feeling terrible, hoping the slightest hope that still remains at this stage will become a reality."

Columbia is the oldest of NASA's shuttle fleet, first launched in 1981. It was on its 28th mission.





[Modified by bambooluv, 7:15 AM 2/1/2003]

 

damn..................

 

I toke my kids down there a week before the launch. We saw the shuttle on the pad. It feels weird to know that its gone now. I have to go home and tell my boys now not looking forward to it.

 

omg

 

Im watching it on the news now, so sad, this is the first time in the history of space travel that a shuttle has crashed RETURNING from space.. So sad

 

One truely sad point is that they know a tile flew off and hit the wing on the shuttle during take off. The tiles protect against the 3000 deg temperatures.

Its jsut so sad. I can remember when the Challenger blew up when i was in kindergarden class.

 

my respects to the families of the crew members....

 

This is definatley a technical set-back for the space program, but right now, its the familes we should be concerned about. May God give them peace in knowing that those 7 brave people gave their lives willingly for a cause that they believed in.
God Bless

-Ben

 

very sad day!!! thoughts go out to the families and friends

 

dam..no words could console those poor families now.

 

The last time this happened on my b-day. Now it happend again 4 days after.

On another note If I was to die riding the most powewrful rocket in the world well that was my decision when I boarded it. If someone dies street racing/ skydiving/ etc. there an idiot. If they board the most dangerous explosive on earth and die they're a hero. Go figure, just my thought. I'm not a bible thumper, but I feel for there families.