Something's Up With The Space Shuttle (Missing)

[Keego]

"NASA says the shuttle was about 200,000 feet up and traveling at 12,500 miles per hour when contact was lost. "

damn.

 

[Keego]

"During a mission status news conference yesterday, Entry Flight Director Leroy Cain was asked about any possible damage to the shuttle's thermal tiles during launch. The tiles are what protect the shuttle during the fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

Tracking video of launch shows what appears to be a piece of foam insulation from the shuttle's external tank falling away during ascent and hitting the shuttle's left wing near its leading edge.

But Cain said engineers "took a very thorough look at the situation with the tile on the left wing and we have no concerns whatsoever. We haven't changed anything with respect to our trajectory design. It will be a nominal, standard trajectory."

"

 

[Iceman91]

Here is the link to the E-Bay thing...The auction is invalid. :Q:|


Ebay

 

[MeanMeosh]

Originally posted by: Iceman91
Here is the link to the E-Bay thing...The auction is invalid. :Q:|


Ebay

it was actually a spoof auction, there was something about irc listed on there... still wrong to do something that sick though.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Iceman91
Here is the link to the E-Bay thing...The auction is invalid. :Q:|


Ebay

:Q

Damn, that was fast. I wonder if it's just invalid because it's so new?

 

[Iceman91]

No, it was a real auction. I looked at the picture of the "fuel valve" that he listed. Claimed he found it in his backyard.

 

[MeanMeosh]

Originally posted by: Iceman91
No, it was a real auction. I looked at the picture of the "fuel valve" that he listed. Claimed he found it in his backyard.

as did i. description said something about it being inscribed with irc something.

 

[Zim Hosein]

From the www.WSJ.com :

Shuttle Columbia Carried
Six Americans, One Israeli

A brief look at the six Americans and Israel's first astronaut aboard space shuttle Columbia.

Commander Rick Husband, 45 years old, an Air Force colonel from Amarillo, Texas. The former test pilot was selected as an astronaut in 1994 on his fourth try. He made up his mind as a child that that was what he was going to do with his life.

"It's been pretty much a lifelong dream and just a thrill to be able to get to actually live it out," he said in an interview before Columbia's launch, his second spaceflight.

* * *

Pilot William McCool, 41, a Navy commander from Lubbock, Texas, and father of three sons. He graduated second in his 1983 class at the Naval Academy, went on to test pilot school and became an astronaut in 1996. This was his first spaceflight.

* * *

Payload commander Michael Anderson, 43, the son of an Air Force man who grew up on military bases. He was flying for the Air Force when NASA chose him in 1994 as one of only a handful of black astronauts. He traveled to Russia's Mir space station in 1998. The lieutenant colonel was in charge of Columbia's dozens of science experiments. His home is in Spokane, Wash.

* * *

Kalpana Chawla, 41, emigrated to U.S. from India in 1980s and became an astronaut in 1994. On only other spaceflight, in 1997, she made mistakes that sent science satellite tumbling out of control. Other astronauts had to go on spacewalk to capture it.

* * *

David Brown, 46, a Navy captain, pilot and doctor. He joined the Navy after a medical internship, went on to fly the A-6E Intruder and F-18. He became an astronaut in 1996. Columbia's mission was his first spaceflight.

* * *

Laurel Clark, 41, a Navy diving medical officer aboard submarines, then flight surgeon who became an astronaut in 1996. On board Columbia to help with science experiments. Has 8-year-old son. Her home is in Racine, Wis.

* * *

Ilan Ramon, 48, a colonel in Israel's air force and the first Israeli in space. His mother and grandmother survived the Auschwitz death camp. Father fought for Israel's statehood alongside grandfather. Ramon fought in Yom Kippur War 1973 and Lebanon War 1982.

He served as a fighter pilot 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, flew F-16s and F-4s. He was chosen as Israel's first astronaut in 1997, then moved to Houston the next year to train for shuttle flight. His wife and four children live in Tel Aviv.

Updated February 1, 2003 11:43 a.m. EST

 

[AbsolutZero]

Originally posted by: Iceman91
People are already trying to gain from this tragedy. A guy on E-bay had listed what he called a "fuel valve" that he found in his backyard... Thank goodness E-bay already took it off.


:disgust:

Jeezz. Look at the existing Columbia merchandise on Ebay start to go up. This item had only 2 bids before the accident, now there are over 20 bids, $175.00 for a balsa wood model of Columbia!

This needs to stop before an unintentional misunderstaning becomes a flood of Buy it Now crap!! :|

 

[KeyserSoze]

Wow, I just woke up to this.

This is KRAZY.




KeyserSoze

 

[Iceman91]

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: Iceman91
People are already trying to gain from this tragedy. A guy on E-bay had listed what he called a "fuel valve" that he found in his backyard... Thank goodness E-bay already took it off.


:disgust:

Jeezz. Look at the existing Columbia merchandise on Ebay start to go up. This item had only 2 bids before the accident, not there are over 20 bids, $175.00 for a balsa wood model of Columbia!

This needs to stop before an unintential misunderstaning becomes a flood of Buy it Now crap!! :|

I have a feeling that E-Bay will cancel ALL merchandise related to the Space Shuttle Columbia. Or at least those that were listed after 9:00 am EST.

 

[AbsolutZero]

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: Iceman91
People are already trying to gain from this tragedy. A guy on E-bay had listed what he called a "fuel valve" that he found in his backyard... Thank goodness E-bay already took it off.


:disgust:

Jeezz. Look at the existing Columbia merchandise on Ebay start to go up. This item had only 2 bids before the accident, now there are over 20 bids, $175.00 for a balsa wood model of Columbia!

This needs to stop before an unintentional misunderstaning becomes a flood of Buy it Now crap!! :|

Update: Now $281.00, hopefully this auction won't complete.

 

[dolph]

i just went to the smithsonian air & space museum on wednesday, and watched the imax movie on the space station. i left wondering if space flight will become mundane in my lifetime.

i don't think so.



to the crew of the shuttle columbia: you went up despite knowing the risks. you didn't do it for personal glory, or even the glory of your country. you went up to help further all of civilization, because you knew when you looked down at earth you didn't see borders naturally drawn on the continents, you saw one planet and yourselves as citizens. through your sacrifice, you still helped our species advance one more step towards shaping our own future. may we continue our pursuit of the heavens with you looking down to guide us, so your deaths will not have been in vain.

 

[Kaervak]

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero


Update: Now $281.00, hopefully this auction won't complete.

Why? The auction started days before this even happened.

 

[AbsolutZero]

Originally posted by: Kaervak

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero


Update: Now $281.00, hopefully this auction won't complete.

Why? The auction started days before this even happened.

I know it was unintentional, but out of respect, I'd try to cancel the transaction. He has the right to go through with it though.

 

[smartt]

These items will spike in value for a few weeks, but so many exist that the only long term value would be completely sentimental. People would be stupid for purchasing them for any other reason. I mean how much would you pay now for a Challenger Wall Clock?

 

[Nohr]

I don't think I've ever heard so many planes and helicopters flying overhead.

 

[Zedtom]

You really gotta wonder about the mindset of people that want to buy, (or sell), souvenirs from a aviation mishap. Now we need to focus on decisions that NASA made about the tiles that were dislodged during liftoff.

If NASA knew that there might be damage to the wing of the shuttle, then why didn't they schedule a spacewalk, and send one of the astronauts out to inspect the wing? If there was damage, they could have stayed in orbit and tried to attempt a repair, or maybe send up another shuttle with some replacement panels.

All in all, another sad day for America and its space program.

 

[Wag]

Ebay already seems to be in the process of cancelling every shuttle related auction, regardless of what or when the auction was started.

As far as Bush pouring lots of money into the space program, it's not likely. The money just doesn't exist right now. But I do believe he will reiterate his pledge for Americans to be on Mars by 2011.

 

[Linux23]

i feel really sick now.


i just watched Apollo 13 a few days ago too. :disgust:

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Wag
Ebay already seems to be in the process of cancelling every shuttle related auction, regardless of what or when the auction was started.

As far as Bush pouring lots of money into the space program, it's not likely. The money just doesn't exist right now. But I do believe he will reiterate his pledge for Americans to be on Mars by 2011.

I would not be surprised. Nasa is currently working on plans to replace the shuttle fleet over the next decade. My guess is there is going to be some accelerated funding.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
its the oldest shuttle, so i guess if one had to break from failure it would be the one. i wonder what changes they did to design later on, or if they are the same.

I would assume there were no design changes made to any of them. It would have been far to complex to put any changes into.

actually the Columbia is a heavy beast as compared to the new shuttles. The new shuttles have an enlarged Payload because of the lighter airframe of the hull.

 

[Entropy007]

From NinjaMutha on the Ars Board

<SPAN class=gs_normal>From a friend of a friend at NASA:

>Re-entry angle fine and systems were all nominal. Two heat protective tiles lost on launch, but fine. We have a catastrophic failure of the vertical stabilizer on structural stress, leading to break up at 12,000 miles per hour. Only a working theory, but data suggests.<</SPAN>

 

[Random Variable]

I'm totally freaked-out now. I told my father last night that NASA is severely underfunded, and that the current fleet of shuttles can't last forever. :Q

 

[Random Variable]

I would not be surprised. Nasa is currently working on plans to replace the shuttle fleet over the next decade. My guess is there is going to be some accelerated funding.

If we're talking about the same project, it was canceled a year or two ago. Lockheed Martin (or maybe it was Boeing) had the designs and everything, but the funding evaporated.