# Columbia: Logistics of a Second Shuttle Staging a Rescue **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 2, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249 "2003-02-02T05:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249/121 "2003-03-22T22:42:57Z")
I find that I must apologize, as I didn’t notice that this thread was revived in GQ. I stated a few facts, but mostly my opinion, and theis in not an appropriate place to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249/122 "2003-03-22T22:51:40Z")
BTW, [here are some pictures of Columbia taken from the fround a few days before the attempted landing.](http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/investigation/amos/index.html) Take a look at high res selections, and think about what might have been discernable had the shuttle been oriented belly-down. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249/123 "2003-03-23T08:35:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\*BTW, [here are some pictures of Columbia taken from the fround a few days before the attempted landing.](http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/investigation/amos/index.html) Take a look at high res selections, and think about what might have been discernable had the shuttle been oriented belly-down. \*\* Not much. The hi-res photo is a big fuzzy blur, unless there was a huge gaping hole in the underside of the orbiter, we wouldn’t have been able to see squat. The only thing that _might_ have provided us with a good visual inspection of the shuttle is one of the orbiting spy sats. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249/124 "2003-03-23T08:45:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\*BTW, [here are some pictures of Columbia taken from the fround a few days before the attempted landing.](http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/investigation/amos/index.html) Take a look at high res selections, and think about what might have been discernable had the shuttle been oriented belly-down. \*\* Not much. The hi-res photo is a big fuzzy blur, unless there was a huge gaping hole in the underside of the orbiter, we wouldn’t have been able to see squat. The only thing that _might_ have provided us with a good visual inspection of the shuttle is one of the orbiting spy sats. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249/125 "2003-03-23T08:51:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\*BTW, [here are some pictures of Columbia taken from the fround a few days before the attempted landing.](http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/investigation/amos/index.html) Take a look at high res selections, and think about what might have been discernable had the shuttle been oriented belly-down. \*\* Not much. The hi-res photo is a big fuzzy blur, unless there was a huge gaping hole in the underside of the orbiter, we wouldn’t have been able to see squat. The only thing that _might_ have provided us with a good visual inspection of the shuttle is one of the orbiting spy sats. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249/126 "2003-05-24T17:01:57Z")
NASA is now back-tracking and claiming that it could in fact have attempted a rescue mission. It would be risky, of course, but all space missions are. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33119-2003May23.html?nav=hptop\_tb](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33119-2003May23.html?nav=hptop_tb) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-logistics-of-a-second-shuttle-staging-a-rescue/152249.md?page=6)