Scripting News

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:11:20 GMT

CNN: "The space shuttle Columbia, carrying a crew of seven, broke up Saturday morning 200,000 feet above Texas."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 22:58:42 GMT

Sacramento Bee: "Space shuttle Columbia appeared to begin trailing fiery debris as it passed over Eastern California early Saturday."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 23:01:15 GMT

Glenn Reynolds: "Post 9/11 and with a war looming, we're a bit tougher about tragedies."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:48:34 GMT

NY Times: "Like the space shuttle Challenger disaster 17 years ago this week and the attacks of Sept 11, the breakup of the Columbia unfolded in real time before a nationwide television audience, sparking many of the same unsettled feelings."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 17:34:43 GMT

Radar image from the National Weather Service that shows the crash, vividly, in color.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:34:22 GMT

NASA news conference, finished at 10:30AM Pacific, offers no theory as to the cause of the disaster.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 22:04:49 GMT

Reuters: Iraqis Call Shuttle Disaster God's Vengeance.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:00:28 GMT

Mail list post by a former NASA flight controller with the most common theory we've heard about why it happened. "The left wing was struck by External Tank debris during ascent." Thanks to Doug Kaye for the link.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:09:28 GMT

Time: Aerodynamics May Explain Space Shuttle Breakup.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:31:20 GMT

Laurel Clark was a resident of Racine, WI.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:13:41 GMT

Cory points to eBay sale of shuttle debris. Ouch.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 18:19:18 GMT

Dan Gillmor: "Space is humanity's destiny."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 17:37:54 GMT

Al Tompkins at Poynter.Org is doing a great job covering the disaster.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 16:14:23 GMT

Please send me reports. Best way, post it to your weblog and send me a pointer. Second best, post in the comments here. Third, via email. Any of these ways is okay. Let's share information. Thanks.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:29:58 GMT

It was barely daylight when the breakup occurred. On NPR they're speculating that it was metal fatigue. The engines aren't powered at this point in the flight. Seven people on board. First Israeli astronaut. Debris is being found all across north Texas. CNN has a series of photos showing the Shuttle breaking up. They were emailed to them from a man on the ground in Texas.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 17:28:07 GMT

Ronald Reagan, 1/28/86: "We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 17:30:21 GMT

Kendall Clark: "I woke up to the sound of a very loud sonic boom over head."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 17:06:27 GMT

Space.Com discussion group thread on the Shuttle mission.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 16:45:27 GMT

Russian report with a pic of debris from CNN.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 16:32:40 GMT

Indian report on India's astronaut, Kalpana Chawla.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 16:17:26 GMT

Reuters: "The US space agency NASA lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia minutes before its scheduled landing and says there could be debris in Texas from the orbiter."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:57:36 GMT

Lou Josephs: "Three people are still on board the International Space Station."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 16:29:20 GMT

NASA statement at 8:30AM Pacific.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:55:36 GMT

Andrew Juby: "My roommate has access to Goddard Space Flight Center's Orbital Information group server. He can pull up data on just about any non-classified orbiting object. We checked it this morning and pulled up some data on Columbia, and ran it by the aerospace major across the hall. It appears that at about 2 or 3AM, as Columbia was into its descent, it pulled up."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:50:44 GMT

Glenn Reynolds has a link to Spaceflight Now, which provides a real-time chronology of events. "At an altitude of 40 miles, shuttle Columbia has entered Texas." Chilling.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:43:07 GMT

Washington Post: "..first Israeli astronaut."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 19:11:48 GMT

NY Times: "It is not too much to say that along with an Israeli flag, Col Ilan Ramon carried Israel's dreams with him into space."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:34:47 GMT

David Brown, via email: "There are reports that something hit the left wing of the shuttle upon launch, that there was something falling from the wing."

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:38:56 GMT

Scott Adams is accumulating links to stories about the Shuttle.

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 15:39:57 GMT

Google News search for "columbia space shuttle."

Non-Shuttle stories

Sun, 02 Feb 2003 04:10:06 GMT

NY Times: AOL's Need: A New Vision.