Shuttle debris found in Cali, Arizona

[JeeberD]

I guess the breakup started earlier than was first thought and that my friends in El Paso weren't lying when they said it was reported that some people heard what they thought was hail hitting their windows just before 8am.

Shuttle (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/04/sprj.colu.shuttle.wrap/index.html)

[Draft Dodger]

on Saturday, ABC interviewed an astronomer in California who says he saw stuff coming off as it flew overhead...

[MylesKnight]

Jesus!

As fast as that Spacecraft was going, how long would it take it to travel from say, the Pacific Coast of California to the landing site in Cape Canavarel?

[JeeberD]

Well, it would have taken it about 15 minutes to get from Texas to Florida, but it was probably traveling even faster from Cali to Texas. Estimate of 25 minutes???

[clintl]

It was crossing over California at 8:53 EST, so that was only 7 minutes before they lost contact. Remember, it was traveling 12,000 mph at that point, so that's 1,000 miles in 5 minutes. It still had to lose a lot of speed before landing.

[MylesKnight]

Even with those types of figures, if pieces were actually falling off between the states of California & Louisiana, then the Shuttle was one, either falling apart at a very slow pace.. a number of minutes total.. or two, the shuttle was so high above ground, the wind or some type of force, maybe the force of the speed aat which the shuttle and all its pieces were travelling, actually spread the debris over this huge mass of land area.

But #2 really could not be it. If that were the case, using that theory objects that initially broke apart in Texas would've ended up landing somewhere near Florida, possibly in the Gulf of Mexico.

What a scary though, either way.

R.I.P. American (& Isreali) Heroes (Hero)!!

[clintl]

Yes, but I think the time frame that anomalies were first appearing on the instruments corresponds pretty well with when it was over California. So it is plausible.

[bigdawg2003]

How come only dead astronauts are publically lauded as heroes? Something I've been thinking about recently.

[bosshogg23]

Bigdawg that is a great question!

I think astronauts are heros no matter how they die. John Glenn is a great example.

[JeeberD]

Ummm, you meant even if they're still alive, right? Cause, you know, John Glenn ain't dead yet...

[bosshogg23]

Ya I meant they are heroes either way.

I know Glenn was a Senator from OH and im pretty sure he was with Bush at the ceremony on Tuesday.

I just think astronauts should be celebrated for what they do DURING their lifetimes as opposed to focusing on the people who unfortunately perish.

[JeeberD]

Exactly. It's a shame the way the space program has basically become ignored over the past ten year. You hardly know that a launch is going to happen unless something goes wrong with it. These people put their lives on the line every time they suit up, and they need to be recognized for the bravery and brilliance.

[bigdawg2003]

I think it comes back to a line said by Elliott Carver in "Tommorow Never Dies"



"There's no news like bad news."

[cthomer5000]

everyone who dies is a hero. the media tells me so.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by bigdawg2003
How come only dead astronauts are publically lauded as heroes? Something I've been thinking about recently.

I don't think this is even remotely true. I certainly consider all of them to be heroes, and I know I'm not alone.

[bigdawg2003]

DD

I guess I should've added "by the media" after my first sentence. But I notice the same from lots of people. There are plenty of other astronauts who are just as heroic as the ones who tragically died on the Columbia. There are plenty of soldiers who are heroes that haven't died in combat. There are tons of police officers and firefighters who are heroes that didn't die at the World Trade Center. I guess I either see through the people who call the Columbia astronauts "heroes" just because they died (BTW, I consider them heroes regardless if they're dead or alive. Strapping yourself to a rocket filled with god knows how much gasoline and hurling yourself thousands of miles an hour towards an infinite of space that can very easily kill you requires guts and heroism.) Maybe I'm just cynical.

[Qwikshot]

What about police officers, soliders, firemen(women) all of whom take risks everyday on the job...?

[bigdawg2003]

Quik

I mentioned them

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by bigdawg2003
Quik

I mentioned them

Apologies must've missed it...truth be told, they die as heros, when they're alive (speaking of astronauts) they are living a dream...

Any person who takes risks on the job should be commended, but the problem is, it is the risk with the job...sure the public mourns every good cop killed in the line of duty, every fireman who falls under the rubble, every soldier felled by an enemy's bullet, but they're not treated as heros until that moment.

We live in a society that has a short attention span, and a need to sensationalize. It is a thankless job.