# We've Just Lost a Shuttle! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097 "2003-02-01T14:41:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tmwster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/57b2e6/32.png) [@tmwster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tmwster)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/41 "2003-02-01T15:29:50Z")
I’m watching the local news in Dallas. I heard a heavy thump this morning, and thought something fell from the trees onto my roof. Apparently many people in the Dallas area are reporting the same thing. Radar shows what might be debris falling across East Texas. This is awful. Those poor astronauts and their families. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/42 "2003-02-01T15:30:04Z")
Oh, no, no, no… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/43 "2003-02-01T15:30:25Z")
> [@](#): > > There is now a report that, on Jan 16th when it took off, a piece of insulation from the fuel tank broke off and hit the wing. The insulation is a soft material, but it’s possible that damage to the wing may have contributed to this problem on re-entry. It’s still speculation, of course. It could also have been a sheet of ice from the external fuel tank. A caller to CNN from Texas said he saw a “plane” that seemed to be too close to the shuttle. He said it looked like a commercial jet. Of course, commercial jets might be at 40,000 feet or so and the Shuttle was at 200,000 feet. Obviously the guy was mistaken, and CNN also pointed that out. > [@](#): > > My dad was a Safety Engineer for the shuttle for a while, after the Challenger explosion. I wonder how he will feel when he sees this? He’s on the road driving to Tennessee right now so he probably won’t find out til tonight. He’ll undoubtedly already know about it from the radio, or at least from conversation when he refuels. > [@](#): > > NASA officials have stated that it is _extremely_ unlikely that this is terrorism. It’s pretty sad, and also irresponsible, that the media is even suggesting terrorism. Accidents do still happen. I don’t like the phrase “accident”, as air crashes almost always have a chain of events that lead up to them. But accidents do indeed happen from time to time. I don’t see any way this could possibly be a terrorist act. Just a tragic accident. ---
**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, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/44 "2003-02-01T15:30:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*A question for anyone who’s managed to get info from CNN/NASA websites (or has just ben paying better attention than me to the boob tube)… > > Apparently, someone on FOX news mentioned, along with the now repeated warning to stay away from possible shuttle debris (damn, that’s morbid sounding) because the propellants used are toxic… in addition to this, FOX news used the word radioactive, on air. I’ve not heard this with m’own ears, but secondhand from my mother, who was watching when the news broke. > > Anyone heard positive or negative on this little tidbit? > > (She also puts forth the idea that it’s a scare tactic to keep “souvenir hunters” from grabbing a bit of it. Yeah, I know.) \*\* Hydrazine is not radioactive, but can be fatal if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. And I _think_ that it is Hydrazine that they use, along with oxygen, but I am not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/45 "2003-02-01T15:30:53Z")
I was only five years old in early 1986, so it never really _hit_ me at the time… This has hit me. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/46 "2003-02-01T15:32:12Z")
This is horrible. My prayers go out to those astronauts and their families. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/47 "2003-02-01T15:32:27Z")
Given the extreme security measures that surround shuttle stagings and take-offs, it is almost impossible that anyone could have sabotaged anything. As for a missile on re-entry, or some ridiculous theory like that, reports indicate that the shuttle was at around 200,000 feet (40 miles), travelling around 10,000 mph when it broke up. You’d have to be quite a shot to hit that. Anyway, I’m pretty sure that’s out of the range of any surface-to-air missile. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/48 "2003-02-01T15:33:18Z")
A sad day, a sad sad day. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/49 "2003-02-01T15:33:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*First I’ve heard of this: > > Apparently, a piece of _something_ broke off during launch, and impacted the left wing of the shuttle itself. What bearing this has on anything, I’ve not yet learned, but it **does** speak to the possibility of mechanical failure of some kind. > > Deep breath, everyone. \*\* They think that the thing that broke off (they’re saying it may have been ice) may have damaged some of the tiles. I’ve heard that even oil from your fingers on those tiles can create a hot spot on re-entry that can cause problems, so if the ice, say, knocked one of those off, it could have been responsible for the explosion. ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/50 "2003-02-01T15:34:07Z")
Wasn’t one of the people on board a Holocaust survivor, or the son of one? I remember hearing something about an Israeli Holocaust survivor being on board. Any truth to this? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/51 "2003-02-01T15:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Hydrazine is not radioactive, but can be fatal if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. And I think that it is Hydrazine that they use, along with oxygen, but I am not sure. There was a hydrazine spill over by the F-16s when I was at Edwards. SOme of my co-workers were exposed. I don’t remember how bad the exposure was, but I remember hearing that exposure could lead to liver damage that will eventually kill you. Note that when the Shuttle lands, they spend a lot of time ventilating it before the astronauts are allowed to come out. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/52 "2003-02-01T15:37:00Z")
> [@](#): > > As for a missile on re-entry, or some ridiculous theory like that, reports indicate that the shuttle was at around 200,000 feet (40 miles), travelling around 10,000 mph when it broke up. I just heard that it was travelling at about 1,200 mph (NASA spokesman on CNN). That seems slow for that altitude. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/53 "2003-02-01T15:37:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by airdisc \* > \*\*Wasn’t one of the people on board a Holocaust survivor, or the son of one? I remember hearing something about an Israeli Holocaust survivor being on board. Any truth to this? \*\* The Israeli was the son of a Holocaust survivor, he brought a menora into space with him as a commemoration of those who perished. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/54 "2003-02-01T15:37:09Z")
_“Like a pillar of cloud The smoke lingers high in the air In fascination With the eyes of the world We stare…”_ **RUSH** - [_Countdown_](http://www.lyricscafe.com/r/rush/057.htm) Somehow, it seemed appropriate to play this song that praises the magic and technology of the Shuttle. Just thought I’d share the lyrics. ☹ ---
**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, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/55 "2003-02-01T15:37:50Z")
12,500 MPH is what the NASA news rep just stated, which seems more in tune with what little I know of STS ops. ---
**Author:** ![alexandria2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f1d935/32.png) [@alexandria2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandria2000)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/56 "2003-02-01T15:38:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by airdisc \* > \*\*Wasn’t one of the people on board a Holocaust survivor, or the son of one? I remember hearing something about an Israeli Holocaust survivor being on board. Any truth to this? \*\* There was an Israeli Astronaut on board, yes. He was carrying a miniature Torah created by a holocaust survivor from his home country. That much I’m aware of. Such a sad day… ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/57 "2003-02-01T15:38:06Z")
I started listening to Fox but they’re still going through every morbid detail and every worst case scenario. I finally said “there’s no reason for me to be listening to this,” and switched it over to CBS where it seems to be a little bit better. They say there is a chance for survival. Hope the astronauts have made it. **airdisc** , to be a holocaust survivor, the person would have to be at least 60 years old, so it’s doubtful that he’s an astronaut on this flight. The son of one is a possibility though. There was an Israeli on board. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/58 "2003-02-01T15:38:51Z")
Brutus has it right. Mission Control has just talked to the public and did not mention the word ‘radioactive’, but it’s still nasty tetragenic stuff. Only fifteen minutes from landing. At least there seems to have been no warning–these poor folks never knew what was happening. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/59 "2003-02-01T15:39:07Z")
> [@](#): > > 12,500 MPH is what the NASA news rep just stated, which seems more in tune with what little I know of STS ops. Thanks. I mis-heard. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097/60 "2003-02-01T15:39:14Z")
I’m too sad to say anything coherent. Godspeed to _Columbia_ and her crew. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-just-lost-a-shuttle/152097.md?page=4)