[Janette]

SPACE SHUTTLE 'BREAKS UP OVER TEXAS'

NASA has lost contact with space shuttle Columbia just minutes before its scheduled landing - and reports say it may have broken up over Texas.

The shuttle had seven astronauts on board. Nasa has ordered flight controllers to pull out emergency procedures, and ordered them to retain all their records.

Columbia was at an altitude of 200,700ft travelling at 12,500mph when mission control lost contact.

There was no further communication and no further tracking data.

The mission, which blasted off on January 16, was carrying a special pressurised laboratory into space for 16 days of experiments.

[Di2001]

Hubby has just told me about this.

He's been watching it live on an American news channel off the satellite.

What an awful thing to have happened.

:-(

[Romantic Old Bird]

This is just dreadful.

I know that tragedies happen every day on a greater scale than this i.e. Ethopia, again, now.

Who knows what we are all teetering on the brink of at the moment with Dubbya.

To witness the shuttle disintegrate if you have a loved one on board is just dreadful beyond words. I remember the 1986 incident, all their friends and families looking on.

[LEE]

How awful.

I've not had the news on at all today and so hadn't heard of this.

I've just put News24 on now and they're talking about possible causes.

How terrible for all the families and friends of those involved.

[Sticks]

I heard it on the 16:00 news on BBC Radio 4.

This was the first flight with an Israeli on. Does that seem too much like a co-incidence.

They say they have ruled out terrorism, but still there is that nagging doubt in the back of my mind.

Am I just paranoid ?

[steve_o]

It's really terrible but for once, Sticks I might just agree with you on this one. I hope it's not a bad omen, reminds me of when the Hindenburg blew up before the Second World War. Things don't seem to be going well at all in America right now, and it does seem a very bad coincidence an israeli was in board at the time.

[LEE]

There's a lot of information on this site

SPACE.COM

including a BIOGRAPHIES of the Astronauts involved.

[BigSister]

This is so sad

I heard it on the radio

I feel for the family and friends of the astronauts

[Mairi]

I also feel for the family and friends of the 7 astronauts. My heart goes out to them.

I am sure it is just a dreadful accident, though and nothing to do with terrorism.

[Amy]

It is very sad news! I've been watching Fox News and CNN this evening, i still cannot believe what has happened it's such a shame

[Amy]

Spare a thought also to the people still on the space station who may have to stay there till June

[susieq]

My heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families & friends of the seven astronauts. It must have been distressing beyond belief for them to see this happen.

Listening to the news bulletins recently it would appear that it is more likely to have been some kind of machinery failure/malfunction rather than an act of terrorism.

A terrible tragedy indeed.

[Sticks]

The truth that dare not speak its name is that personed space travel can not be justified what so ever.

The shuttle and the international space station is a colossal waste of money. Putting a person into space is too expensive.

Better results can be obtained from smaller cheaper robots, with out the cost in human life.

It is time that personed space travel was consigned to the dustbin of history as an expensive folly that was the last relic of the cold war

Besides why do we need to know about the outer planets or Mars, when the money could be better spent on more deserving causes.

[LEE]

Sticks, not only do I disagree with you VERY strongly about this, I think that it is completely the wrong time to bring up an agrument like this when 7 people have just lost their lives.

Show a bit of respect.

[steve_o]

Sticks why the rant at this time. Wait until the reports have come through about what happened first. Then have your say.Even I've jumped the gun a bit which isnt the right time really.

[Sticks]

Originally posted by steve_o
Sticks why the rant at this time. Wait until the reports have come through about what happened first. Then have your say.Even I've jumped the gun a bit which isnt the right time really.

As with other tragedies, at this time people are asking lots of questions, including why. The report will only come up with details about which piece of hardware failed. However the base premise of should people go into space seems sacresanct and beyond question. Why can we not qustion that?

As another seven people have lost their lives on the shuttle programme, should we not ask if putting people at this risk is justified when remote vehicles can do the job just as well?

Should this discussion be switched to a new thread. I posted here because the Pay Your Respects site is more a thread for condolences and I did think it would not be in good taste to post there.

[LEE]

Personally I don't think it is in particularly good taste to post it anywhere at the moment Sticks.

[Amy]

The shuttle and the international space station is a colossal waste of money.

I do NOT agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Earth Science
The perfect way to study the planet Earth as a whole is from Space. Using the highest quality optical glass instruments ever installed on manned spacecraft, scientists hope to observe some of the underlying factors which drive weather systems. The results could help weather forecasters make long-term predictions, and anticipate general weather patterns up to a year in advance.
Equipment mounted to the outside of the ISS will monitor stratospheric aerosol gasses, and investigate ozone chemistry in the upper atmosphere.




Biomedical Research
If humans ever hope to colonise other planets, then they will need to spend extended periods in microgravity. This can affect the human body in a variety of ways. Long periods of space travel can lead to bone loss, muscle atrophy, and changes to the nervous system, and these are being studied aboard the ISS. As well as benefiting future space missions, this work could have important consequences on combating the effects of aging, and could help doctors fight diseases such as Osteoporosis back on Earth.



Biotechnoloy
Muscle and bone grow differently when in microgravity. Protein crystals can be made to grow larger and more symmetrically than they can back on Earth. Research on board the ISS could lead to better techniques for growing cell tissues, as well as improved techniques for fighting viruses such as HIV.
Plans for future extensions to the ISS include a centrifuge, in which astronauts can mimic a gravitational field anywhere between zero and twice that present on Earth. This will enable experiments on the way gravitational fields affect many biological processes.



Combustion Science
Combustion processes are vital to many aspects of industry. Yet the dynamics with which materials burn is often very poorly understood. Studying combustion in a gravity-free environment may help scientists understand the process better.
Finding ways in which to improve the efficiency of combustion reactions may help improve the efficiency of energy sources on Earth, reducing transportation costs, and reducing the impact of fossil fuels on the environment.

[LEE]

Well said Amy.

Man needs to continue to expand the boundaries of his knowledge in every way.

If we hadn't got a history of doing this we would still be sitting in caves.