# Shuttle Columbia MIA? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 1, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091 "2003-02-01T14:19:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/1 "2003-02-01T14:19:49Z")
Watching Fox News, NASA saying that STS Columbia has lost comms during landing. No tracking on shuttle, is overdue by quite a bit for comms. Real bad, it seems. Not a rant, but where else to put this stuff? ---
**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, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/2 "2003-02-01T14:25:31Z")
My friends at NASA are very concerned. They _lost_ the shuttle over Texas. Damn, not again. ---
**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, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/3 "2003-02-01T14:26:04Z")
UPDATE, 'multiple trails; spotted over Texas, indicating possible breakup. Holy shit, hope this isn’t what it totaly appears to be. ---
**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, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/4 "2003-02-01T14:32:56Z")
Just saw the video on CNN. One bright ‘comet’ breaks up into multiple burning streaks, most of which burn out quickly. One large ‘comet’ keeps streaking in. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/5 "2003-02-01T14:36:46Z")
Just saw the film on CNN. Holy fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/6 "2003-02-01T14:37:50Z")
Me too. I hope it’s not as bad as it looks, but - it doesn’t look positive. ---
**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, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/7 "2003-02-01T14:37:58Z")
CNN is reporting that pieces of the Shuttle are impacting the Dallas area. Somebody (I was in the kitchen so I might’ve misheard) said that the speed upon atmospheric re-entry was 6 times higher than it should’ve been… ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/8 "2003-02-01T14:38:30Z")
☹ I remember the Challenger blowing up when I was in fourth grade, and how every one of my teachers was crying but they wouldn’t tell the students anything. I was hoping I’d never have to be reminded of that day again. May God have mercy on their souls. ---
**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, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/9 "2003-02-01T14:39:15Z")
Amen. I was in the 5th grade, and the Challenger disaster still bothers me. Now this. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/10 "2003-02-01T14:43:14Z")
ABC news, with no evidence whatsoever, reported a possible terrorist attack. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/11 "2003-02-01T14:44:59Z")
At this point, though, they’re saying that the “multiple comets” are probably hunks of Mir. Mighty coincidental, if they are. Man, what’s Bush going to do with this? What with an Israeli aboard the thing? Hell, we’re ALREADY about to go to war, simply because Iraq can’t/won’t prove they don’t have nukes… ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/12 "2003-02-01T14:46:44Z")
CNN said 200,00 feet, so it’s difficult to imagine any sort of attack. ---
**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, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/13 "2003-02-01T14:47:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Czarcasm \* > \*\*ABC news, with no evidence whatsoever, reported a possible terrorist attack. ☹ \*\* Heard that on CNN too. Probably because first reports came out of ‘Palestine’, TX, and there is a Israeli astronaut on board. But even my racist and paranoid ass isn’t believing that one fucking bit. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/14 "2003-02-01T14:48:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wang-Ka \* > \*\*Man, what’s Bush going to do with this? What with an Israeli aboard the thing? Hell, we’re ALREADY about to go to war, simply because Iraq can’t/won’t prove they don’t have nukes… \*\* :rolleyes: Can this wait, please? ---
**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/15 "2003-02-01T14:52:03Z")
**Wang** , the Mir reference was to what the multiple trails looked like. Mir came back, in a planned breakup, a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/16 "2003-02-01T14:58:37Z")
**Moderator’s Notes** I know everyone is on the edge right now, but PLEASE let’s keep the rumors and innuendo to an absolute minimum until we know exactly what’s going on. This is a sad day; let’s not make it any sadder. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/17 "2003-02-01T15:06:27Z")
Terrorism is doubtfull (I mean… how?) Tragic. What the fuck happened during the scheduled re-entry? Obviously catastrophic, but WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!! The Columbia is the oldest in the fleet, but what caused the catastrophic failure? ---
**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, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/18 "2003-02-01T15:10:37Z")
One of the understated dangers in the space program is reentering the atmosphere. Apollo 13 could have burned up. Apparently, Columbia did. Possible factors include: heat shielding / attitude, yaw, pitch problems / impacts / just about anything else you can think of until we have facts. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/19 "2003-02-01T15:15:43Z")
The loss of contact apparently occured at 200,000 feet and Mach 17. That height and speed is so far beyond what even the SR71 operated at that an anti-aircraft attack can be ruled out absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091/20 "2003-02-01T15:16:59Z")
First of all, there’s no way it was a terrorist attack. So let’s just get that out of the way. There is no missile system in existence that could reach the shuttle at the altitude it was at short of an ICBM. There had been reports of hydraulics problems on the shuttle, which would have made it nearly impossible for it to control it’s re-entry well enough not to burn up. My father has been working on some shuttle problems for the past few months and has been designing parts and systems for the shuttle since the start of the program. I’ll talk to him in a few hours (he’s 3 hours behind) and if he is able to tell me anything, I’ll post it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shuttle-columbia-mia/152091.md?page=2)