space shuttle

[chickeneater]

just this morning, i went up to la cumbre peak(3598 ft) and saw the space shuttle "columbia" come in for re-entry. it was cool until we heard that it crashed. too bad i had to get up at 4:50 to see it.

[gd_nimrod]

Damn you actually saw it? Watch out for debris from it, its all over the news now.

[chickeneater]

actually i only saw it from approximately san francisco to tahoe area, so i didnt get to see it crash

[techno]

I am a big fan of space explorations myself, done alot of study myself too u know.

It's just a tragic thing I cried. I was just switching channels today and saw this breaking news, I could not believe it

My explanation is, since the shuttle is old, the heat insulation (I think it's called that, not quite sure) underneath the shuttle (the black stuff) kinda worn out after all these years and also, cause of pollution/global warming, all that goes towards the atmosphere and therefore it's hotter than ever, so when the shuttle is re entering earth, the heat is much much more than what it could handle, therefore, it just broke up.

That's my conclusion, I could may well be REAL REAL wrong here, dunno much but this was my first conclusion

R.I.P to the brave Astronauts on the NASA Columbia Space Shuttle

[techno]

and I was right! They just kinda confirmed that could be the main problem ... NASA said it, and so did fox news (sky news in the UK)

[SKD_Tech]

Does anyone know where I could download a movie of the re-entry??

[chickeneater]

yeah, in kazaa search "space shuttle" in the video section
that is where i got mine

[Enchanter]

Originally posted by SKD_Tech
Does anyone know where I could download a movie of the re-entry??

Doesn't it make you sick to be seeing a scene where people are getting killed (and for real, instead of like in the movies)? It makes me feel bad enough to be watching the September 11 clips. I don't really want to see another one like those.

In addition, not downloading them is an act of respect to the people aboard the doomed shuttle. They deserve at least that.

[SKD_Tech]

I thought about what you said Enchanter and it made me think. Thanks on your view about the topic I just aborted my download

[setarip]

Positive or, as in this case, horribly negative, it's still an historic event - and ALL history should be preserved for future generations...

[Enchanter]

Originally posted by setarip
Positive or, as in this case, horribly negative, it's still an historic event - and ALL history should be preserved for future generations...

As you put it, there are two possibilities to the reasons for downloading such clips.

One is for viewing the replay of such a rare event (you hardly get to see such real-life tragedies) and simply for the amusement and thrill of it.

Second is, as you put it, to preserve the captured moment for future educational and historical documentaries.

I'm inclined to bet that most net downloaders will obtain such clips for the former reason. . .

[setarip]

"As you put it, there are two possibilities to the reasons for downloading such clips."

I'm afraid that either I didn't express myself as clearly as I thought, or you've misinterpreted my words.

I only see ONE reason to preserve an historical event - whether the EVENT is a positive one or a horribly negative one.

I, for one, would simply want to make certain that, just like the fantastically positive 1969 first footsteps on the Moon, this God-awful event will be available to future generations.

If, as you suggest, others might download this video just for the sake of "thrillseeking", then so be it - that's the individual's business.

[The Maynard]

It definitley does suck about this accident. I'm really surprised that no one was hurt on the ground by all the debris.
But here are some things that are irritating me about the whole thing and the media's take on it:

1: I'm getting tired of the media calling the 7 astronauts "heros". They weren't heros. They did nothing heroic. They were brave, that's for sure. But they did nothing to earn the honor of being called a hero. A hero is a firefighter or policeman running into a tower that was hit by a plane, trying to save lives. THAT'S a hero. Not someone that launches themselves into space to study the effects of zero gravity on spiders. If we call these people heros then we have to call everyone that ever died in a plane crash a hero.

2: Even though this is a tragedy they are fully aware that they may die at anytime up there. They are willingly strapping themselves in a vehicle that sits on millions of pounds of fuel, with thousands of moving parts built by the lowest bidder. And they are going into the most uninhabitable environment known to man.

3: In the over 50 years of space travel there have only been 3 fatal accidents that I'm aware of. THAT'S pretty damn good! And accidents are bound to happen so they should really count their blessings. Plane pilots make accidents all the time that result in crashes. Airtraffic controllers make mistakes all the time that result in crashes. No one ever calls these people heros. Because they weren't. And neither were the astronauts. They were brave men and women that died doing a daring job and they died knowing full well that it was a possibility.

I thought it was very interesting how CNN was talking about how we, as a country, are getting too comfortable with these big public displays of grief. I fully agree. It's all just lip service for most of these people. Afterall, I'm sure it's never crossed these people's mind that they might be on TV looking all pious, grief stricken and passionate over the accident. I'm sure they never took into consideration that the entire country would be looking at them and their big public display of generosity. "Look at me! I'm giving! Look at my big public display of grief! I must be a kind and good person. Look at my tears everyone! LOOK!"
Now, I don't have any problems with people feeling grief over something like this. I felt terrible after 9/11 but grief is a private thing and have never liked the whole public gathering of grievers. I know some people feel better doing it that way but usually it's all just a public display to see who is grieving more. Kinda like how church, for some, is just a contest to see who has the biggest hat, the flashiest dress and who gives more when they pass the donation plate around.
Sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way, but this is the way I feel about the whole thing.

[Batman]

I agree, the media is becoming increasingly right-wing and more emotional. It is very difficult to get a balanced perspective these days.

From what I've read, however, I think NASA has some idea that something could go wrong. They did nothing about it. Cost cutting cost lives

Hopefully, the investigation into the Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy will avert future disasters.

[gd_nimrod]

Originally posted by The Maynard
...here are some things that are irritating me about the whole thing and the media's take on it:

1: I'm getting tired of the media calling the 7 astronauts "heros". They weren't heros. They did nothing heroic. They were brave, that's for sure. But they did nothing to earn the honor of being called a hero. A hero is a firefighter or policeman running into a tower that was hit by a plane, trying to save lives. THAT'S a hero. Not someone that launches themselves into space to study the effects of zero gravity on spiders. If we call these people heros then we have to call everyone that ever died in a plane crash a hero.

I couldn't agree with you more.
"If we call these people heros then we have to call everyone that ever died in a plane crash a hero."
Indeed, everyone who died on 9/11 is truly a "hero"...

Ever since the 911 terrorist attacks, i noticed a change in american television, the patriotism. Americans were always very patriotic - they're known to be - but know it seems that the media relates everything bad to a terrorist attack, which eventually leads to the blaming of the Islam nation. Now, im a Christian myself, but when i heard on CNN news "this space shuttle disaster might be linked to terrorism, beware!" i had to turn the tv off. How could an al-qaeda operative (or such) get on a space shuttle? Or somehow get into the nasa control centre and screw around over there. It just doesn't make sense how paranoid (some) americans are. Don't get me wrong, we Canadians are a close neighbour of the us and respect all the hardships they've been through these past years, but we can't keep looking back at the bad times; and now when that idiot of a president wants war with a country that WAS known to have nuclear weapons, however NOT anymore, we can't help but think: "God Help America".