lost contact with shuttle Columbia...

[rogwar]

I heard it and saw it this morning.

[KyleF]

STS-107, Shuttle Columbia, Your crew has found a place in all of our hearts... We keep you in our prayers

R.I.P. Shuttle Columbia (February 1st, 2003)

[Tarmac]

God be with the astronauts and their families.  

[funkedup]

WTF

[Reschke]

You're right GSchloz. I don't know of one but I also don't know of another company/organization that routinely puts people outside of the earths atmosphere with this small amount of loss of life and actual incidents. Well the Russians do it and supposedly the Chinese are going to as well but they (Russians) have had a significantly larger loss of life with their space program. At least that is what I have read in the last several years.

[Reschke]

The only comparison I was making to commercial aviation is that nearly every airline in the US has had several accidents inflight. They tend to be more common place than what is seen by NASA but with NASA since the US government funds the organization it gets put squarely into the picture when they have the smallest little slow down due to a crack in a water line at ground control or a crack in a fuel line on the shuttle itself.

[GRUNHERZ]

Just put our flag up half staff in front of the house.  Very sad.  

[Karnak]

Shuttle Commander Rick D. Husband

Pilot William C. McCool

Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson

Mission Specialist David M. Brown

Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla

Mission Specialist Laurel Clark

Mission Specialist Ilan Ramon



I well remember the Challenger in 1986.  They put it on the TVs in each classroom and we watched it for the rest of the day.  Even now I have to change the channel when I see that footage begin to roll.  Watching it over and over and over and over and over on that January day has imprited it in my mind.

Today is very sad.

[Rotorian]

Originally posted by Animal
Mi miedo mas grande es que se asusten por los riesgos, y tengan miedo a empujar adelante esta ciencia tan importante. Inconcientemente estaran deshonorando aquellos que murieron para lograr todos estos avances.

Son mas que super heroes.

I doubt that will happen.  We didnt stop exploring after the first catastrophic failure.  I am sure after a standdown until the nature of this one is found, we shall again go into space.

[Swoop]

This is truly awful, just like last time.  

What weird is we were discussing "where you were when Challenger went up" only a few days ago.

[-tronski-]

A tragedy for all mankind, a sad day indeed.

 Tronsky

[midnight Target]

[weazel]

Originally posted by miko2d
Oh, yeah, lets use this tragedy for more socialist "bigger government" propaganda...

 miko

I wanted to puke when I saw Dan Rather inject comments from Iraqi citizens into the coverage.

It didn't take long for the good puppy talking heads in the media to spin this story.

[Frogm4n]

The space program is something that all mankind takes pride in. It is a international symbol of mankinds united efforts to explore our destiny. Our future is in space. To ignore this fact is to deny our curiosty, and our natural desire to explore. This is not a dark day for America or Iseral, it is a dark day for mankind as a whole.
  The venture star program should have been finished years ago. Shuttles like the Columbia should have been put out to pasture 10 years ago.
  Those that scream big government, take a look at NASA's budget compared to that of the military, its nothing. 200million dollars a jet for a F22? Im glad the president has said that flights will continue, but he has broken his word in the past, and is responisible for alot of NASA cutbacks. So we shall see.

[Animal]

The goverment cant afford an advanced space fleet, but they can afford a fleet of unnecessary B-2 Spirits which are even more expensive.

I hope Bush does something great and increases NASA's shoe-string budget.

If the contrary takes place, then these deaths will be in vain.