# Another Shuttle Disaster? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096 "2003-02-01T14:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/1 "2003-02-01T14:35:22Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.landing.ap/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.landing.ap/index.html) > [@](#): > > NASA lost communication with space shuttle Columbia shortly before its scheduled landing on Saturday. It was unclear whether there were any other problems. > > Mission Control reported no communication with the shuttle after 9 a.m. EST. > > With security tighter than usual, space shuttle Columbia streaked toward a Florida touchdown Saturday to end a successful 16-day scientific research mission. Those poor people. Pieces of the shuttle are impacting around the Dallas area. ☹ Any ideas as to what happened? ---
**Author:** ![Eli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@Eli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eli)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/2 "2003-02-01T14:38:09Z")
This is simply wrong. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/3 "2003-02-01T14:39:11Z")
[off-topic] Hey… you’re not the same “Eli” that I know at [www.apolyton.net](http://www.apolyton.net), are you? ---
**Author:** ![Eli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@Eli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eli)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/4 "2003-02-01T14:41:13Z")
I am… ---
**Author:** ![Eli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@Eli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eli)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/5 "2003-02-01T14:42:30Z")
A Texas TV station talks about an explosion above Texas. The trail of the shuttle splitted to a few segments… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/6 "2003-02-01T14:42:38Z")
I can’t make any sense of the CNN article, and I can’t find any other sources. Did the Shuttle do a deorbit burn but failed to turn up at the landing site on schedule? That sounds pretty bad, but at the end of the article they talk about “the next time Columbia flies” so it sounds like the Shuttle is safe. What’s going on? ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/7 "2003-02-01T14:58:52Z")
It’s gone. Everyone is dead. Now the speculation begins. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/8 "2003-02-01T15:00:26Z")
Yes, it never made it to Florida. We were waiting for the landing and it never showed up. They had lost communication and then they found out about the video from Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/9 "2003-02-01T15:03:41Z")
Some astronaut on CNN said that there is an incredibly small margin for error, while manuevering during landing. Due to the speeds involved, and the heat and stress generated, any deviation can be catastrophic. I choose to ignore the AP ‘possiblities of terrorism’ report for now. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-shuttle-disaster/152096/10 "2003-02-01T15:04:30Z")
This isn’t really a debate. It’s a breaking news story; there won’t be anything to debate until we have some idea what happened. Then we can all start debating the future of the space program and so on. _Damn_ it!