Space Shuttle Columbia lost on re-entry

[Chrono_Wanderer]

shocking, period. deepest sympathy to all the families involved.

first the challenger, now this...

[K6-III]

Even if damage was discovered on orbit, we have no rescue capability.

The quickest rescue would be to ready a Russian Soyuz, but that would take at least a month and could only carry 2 people besides the Russian pilot.

A Shuttle takes several months to ready, even if fasttracked.

With the incredible state of disrepair at Kennedy Space Center and throughout the entire space program, an accident was just waiting to happen...

[Nowhere]

Greebe, but you're mentioning sub-sonic plane (completely different stress to construction) and a plane that was supersonic and CRASHED several times during it's service and later was withdraw (of course not beacause of crashes, but why withdraw something that's never been shut down and perfectly does what it suppose to do? get my point?).

And the shuttle is first and only of it's kind, you can't compare it directly with normal planes.

and as for mir...you're forgetting that basically USA paid for it's maintainance during the last of it's years (and for it's "landing"). But that's not really the point. The point is that after ~15 years MIR was a little crap...ISS for example will be too (it has plannig working time of ~15, max 20 years). Because those are the constructions that have to work in extreme enviroments. Shuttles are one of them also.

Now, I don't want to argue with you because of what I think...that's not rally important...people have died.
But remember what was with Challenger? NASA knew about the possible malfuction that could cause something like that for couple of years before it crashed. But they ignore it. Who knows if quote made by Kruzin was also little ignored?
Remember: Earth orbit isn't atmosphere. It's a lot tougher.

[Nowhere]

just wonderring about possible rescue...

if the orbits weren't too diferent, they could dock to ISS, left crue there, and let the shuttle do fully self-piloted landing (like buran once did)

edit: but probably they were...

[K6-III]

Shuttle cannot land on autopilot like Buran. Buran was the only one of its kind. Not to mention that Buran also had jet engines for safer landings, had a far superior computer-controlled automated tile installation, had higher payload capacity, were assembled horizontally, and was superior in just about every way, except that it never flew crewed missions....

As for changing orbits to get to ISS, that is not possible with the amount of fuel shuttle has in its orbit...

[thop]

It was probably a couple of minor things combined that lead to the catastrophy.

[Greebe]

@Nowhere

Yes the B52 is subsonic, but sure as hell the SR71 most certainly is not! Have you any experiance with aeronautical enginneering or the technologies involved or any of the design criteria?! Nothing you have said thus far indicate you do.

BTW this was flight 28 on an aircraft that had just underwent a full 17 month long restoration... The shuttles designed life expectancy is 100 flights.

If you can't be open minded or don't really know WTF you are talking about in any of this, please do us all that are mourning a favor and shut up.

[gt40]

I don't think any of us are qualified to comment on the longetivity of a vehicle such as this.
This shuttle just went thru a 17 month overhaul and was designed to fly 100 missions.
I beleive the experts would not have flown this it it wasn't flight worthy.

[Greebe]

Oh really?! Guess some of us here do, and is why the harsh comments were made

[K6-III]

Some of us may indeed be qualified....

[Dilitante1]

It is a sad day for all involved with this disaster, and I am sure all our hearts go out to the families involved.

However, it will take time to determine the cause of this tragety (remember Challenger?) and heated debates over the numerous possibilities of what could have happened is a waste of time imho.

Thop is most likely correct in that a few minor issues caused this to happen, but to have a pissing contest on who knows more about aviation/spaecraft engineering is pointless.

Again best thoughts and wishes and prayers to the families of the astronauts lost. May thier GOD keep them safe now.

[Greebe]

FYI for those who are wondering about K6-III's mention of Buran... here's a quick read.