posted
Terrible for the families, but I hope this will spur the intoduction of new shuttles rather than recoiling in fear and abandoning the space programme.
-------------------- "and none of your usual boobery." M. Burns
Registered: Oct 2001
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
/me fears this tragedy will lead to stronger calls for the abolishment of manned space travel... which is where humanity's future lies.
The seven astronauts who died today are the pioneers of the 21st century.
[ February 01, 2003, 09:44 AM: Message edited by: E. Cartman ]
Registered: Nov 1999
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Columbia (OV-102), the first of NASA's orbiter fleet, was delivered to Kennedy Space Center in March 1979. Columbia initiated the Space Shuttle flight program when it lifted off Pad A in the Launch Complex 39 area at KSC on April 12, 1981. It proved the operational concept of a winged, reusable spaceship by successfully completing the Orbital Flight Test Program - missions STS-1 through 4.
Other, more recent achievements for Columbia include the recovery of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite from orbit during mission STS-32 in January 1990 and the STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences mission in June 1991 - the first manned Spacelab mission totally dedicated to human medical research.
Columbia is named after a small sailing vessel that operated out of Boston in 1792 and explored the mouth of the Columbia River. One of the first ships of the U.S. Navy to circumnavigate the globe was named Columbia. The command module for the Apollo 11 lunar mission was also named Columbia.
This leaves NASA with 3 shuttles, Discovery (OV-103), Atlantis (OV-104), and Endeavour (OV-105), with no replacements on the horizon for the next decade or so.
-------------------- "Lotta people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting."
-Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney, LeMans
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
The US has invested far too much into the space program and ISS to abandon it now. Things will be pushed back at least a year, I'd say, but the remaining three shuttles will likely continue flying. They will certainly not build a replacement for Columbia, as Endeavor was built to replace Challenger. Columbia couldn't be used in space station construction (too heavy), so ISS construction will mostly suffer time delays and political setbacks.
There are warnings all over the news for people in Texas who may encounter debris - it has rained down all over several counties. They were using some pretty heavy stuff for their 80+ experiments.
posted
Can the Enterprise be made flyable? Exactly what made it unusable in orbital operations, anyhow?
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
Enterprise has been languishing at Dulles Airport for 20 years awaiting the Smithsonian's new NASM wing there. It's to house her & Enola Gay.
No one's mentioned it yet...but the 17th anniversary of Challenger was a few days ago.
Ugh. How long until some enterprising young Texan decides to start selling Columbia debris on eBay? As my friend Kim said, "I really hope not...I think it would be illegal, don't you?" I sure as shit HOPE so.
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Enterprise was never built with engines, so it'd require quite the overhaul to make it even flyable, let alone space worthy (the space frame is now nearing 30 years old).
Also, I received a link earlier this morning of someone trying to sell a GARDEN HOSE as Columbia wreckage on eBay. The bid when I saw it was $15,099. The auction has since been removed.
-------------------- "Lotta people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting."
-Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney, LeMans
Registered: Mar 1999
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capped
I WAS IN THE FUTURE, IT WAS TOO LATE TO RSVP
Member # 709
posted
CNN now has lots of still shots of debris from several spots in Texas.. nothing bigger than a bread box, a scrap of metal on a sidewalk, a chunk of material in a field. They also issued a general chemical hazard warning about such artifacts of the breakup because of the fuel involved.. i think the collectors might be in for more than they bargained for..
one accident every 20 years or so is a fantastic safety record. 2 disasters out of 113 or so missions.. but as lot of people are calling this a wake up call for building new orbiters, and not using 22 year old equipment.
-------------------- "Are you worried that your thoughts are not quite.. clear?"
Registered: Sep 2001
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quote:"Born of the Sun they traveled a short while towards the sun, and left the vivid air singed with their honor." -- Stephen Spender
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
Enterprise is in worse condition than Buran... it'd be less expensive to build a new orbiter than to refurbish big E.
Registered: Nov 1999
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-------------------- "Lotta people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting."
-Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney, LeMans
Registered: Mar 1999
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Valles
Ex-Member
posted
quote:Originally posted by Mark Nguyen: The US has invested far too much into the space program and ISS to abandon it now. Things will be pushed back at least a year, I'd say, but the remaining three shuttles will likely continue flying. They will certainly not build a replacement for Columbia, as Endeavor was built to replace Challenger. Columbia couldn't be used in space station construction (too heavy), so ISS construction will mostly suffer time delays and political setbacks.
We can see the dream. A lot of people don't.
They don't matter.
The invention of the internal combustion engine was a neccessity before the dream of heavier than air flight could be realized. Naturally, such didn't happen immediately - engines had to develope more, everything had to come together.
Carbon nanotubes, graphite composites... whatever. Things aren't ready, they haven't come together. But they will, and the universe will change.
In one moment, Earth. In the next, Heaven.
Blessed be. -n ("Fifty years after everybody stops laughing." -Arthur C. Clarke, asked when a space elevator will be built.)
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
"a lot of people are calling this a wake up call for building new orbiters, and not using 22 year old equipment"
I'm hoping the X-33 Venture Star project will be reactived and full funding restored, but I don't expect that to happen, realistically. At least not for the coming decade (if ever).
Registered: Nov 1999
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