Contact with Columbia Lost!

[Luk]

It is not important to me... many more people are dying more innocent from car accidents, or murders. It was accident, it is no big deal

[Edan]

Originally posted by Solver
But people should try fighting being too addicted or whatever can it be called, to symbols.

I don't think I'd call it an "addiction".

Symbols are a great target for terrorists - like the WTC was targeted, as a symbol of New York and the American economic strength.

Even though these symbols may be vulnerable to terrorist attack, manmade accident or natural disaster, I don't thik thats any reason to simply give them up. Symbols give us unity and hope, and personify many of our ideals. Build them better, or safer, increase security. If the projects don't work, and inherently badly designed then acknowledge it and move on to a better thought out project. But don't give up symbols simply because they might be vulnerable to destruction - particularily since risk is inherent in progress.

OK, patriotic rant off.

[SlowwHand]

We were having coffee and reading the newspaper, and heard the blast.
My mother asked what it was, and I told her it sounded like a "sonic boom" to me. Years since heard one.

My brother called about 45 minutes later, from New Mexico, asking if we had seen the shuttle.
Huh? No.
He advised us to turn on the television.

To Israel, I know this is devastating to you all, as it is to us here.

[Solver]

I don't think I'd call it an "addiction".

Agreed, I just don't know of a more proper word in English to describe what I mean.

[Ned]

Amatuer photos show the moment the Shuttle blew up. At the time of the explosion, there was debris already some distance away.

They are also running video of the take-off. There was smoke and fire coming from somewhere near the big center tank that was literally engulfing the left wing of the shuttle.

[Felch]

Attached to symbols, perhaps?

[Velociryx]

Always a good idea not to put *all* your stock into symbols, but let's face it, the USA was born and bred on them.

Look at our first President, George Washington.

Here was a guy who was the absolute embodiment of everything the fledgling USofA was fighting for. He was a towering, imposing figure (6'3", when the troops under his command averaged a height of 5'6").

Some might ask, "well, what was so special about him?" and then proceed to point out his many flaws and shortcomings, the two most commonly pointed out being:

* He kept slaves (and therefore, what a hypocrite he was....talking about the equality of men)

* He was a less-than-stellar general (a review of his battle record will reveal that he lost more battles than he won, and his biggest victories came in the form of "cheese" attacks and surprise raids)

Both technically correct, perfectly valid points, but the story doesn't end there.

Here was a guy who later (after the dust had settled and the fighting was over) freed his slaves, precisely because it ran counter to everything he had been fighting for (a thing that Washington's contemporary, Thomas Jefferson, never did, btw....Jefferson was far more eloquent in his expression, but lacked the courage of his convictions). Here was a guy who was HANDED an entire country (elected our first president by a unanimous vote), and who could EASILY have gone on to become the "First King of the United States."

I mentioned this point in another thread, but it bears repeating here.

Washington's nemesis of that day was King George of England, who said of the upstart across the pond that "if Washington goes back to his farm after his tenure in power, he will be the man of the age."

Washington served two consecutive terms (setting the precident for that), and then peacefully, willingly gave up the nation's highest office.

The English King was right, and America's first President became also among her first, and most cherished symbols.

All people, all nations rely on symbols because they DO unify, and in our particular case, we were born on the back of one.

Can't give that up.



-=Vel=-

[Solver]

Originally posted by Ned
They are also running video of the take-off. There was smoke and fire coming from somewhere near the big center tank that was literally engulfing the left wing of the shuttle.

So you're saying there was some UFO?

[Lefty Scaevola]

The debris, spotted by radar over Rusk, TX, has landed in and around Nacogdoches Texas, and the two surrounding National forrests.

[DuncanK]

Originally posted by Velociryx
Always a good idea not to put *all* your stock into symbols, but let's face it, the USA was born and bred on them.

Look at our first President, George Washington.

Here was a guy who was the absolute embodiment of everything the fledgling USofA was fighting for. He was a towering, imposing figure (6'3", when the troops under his command averaged a height of 5'6").

Some might ask, "well, what was so special about him?" and then proceed to point out his many flaws and shortcomings, the two most commonly pointed out being:

* He kept slaves (and therefore, what a hypocrite he was....talking about the equality of men)

* He was a less-than-stellar general (a review of his battle record will reveal that he lost more battles than he won, and his biggest victories came in the form of "cheese" attacks and surprise raids)

Both technically correct, perfectly valid points, but the story doesn't end there.

Here was a guy who later (after the dust had settled and the fighting was over) freed his slaves, precisely because it ran counter to everything he had been fighting for (a thing that Washington's contemporary, Thomas Jefferson, never did, btw....Jefferson was far more eloquent in his expression, but lacked the courage of his convictions). Here was a guy who was HANDED an entire country (elected our first president by a unanimous vote), and who could EASILY have gone on to become the "First King of the United States."

I mentioned this point in another thread, but it bears repeating here.

Washington's nemesis of that day was King George of England, who said of the upstart across the pond that "if Washington goes back to his farm after his tenure in power, he will be the man of the age."

Washington served two consecutive terms (setting the precident for that), and then peacefully, willingly gave up the nation's highest office.

The English King was right, and America's first President became also among her first, and most cherished symbols.

All people, all nations rely on symbols because they DO unify, and in our particular case, we were born on the back of one.

Can't give that up.



-=Vel=-

Good post Vel. I have to say though that there aren't many men like George Washington. Some Americans love to say that George Washington symbolises America, but that is just really hog wash. I don't think we've had a president like George Washington since, and nothing close since FDR.

[Jack_www]

damn does not look good for them, I dont think they are still alive, not unless they knew the shuttle was breaking up and ejected before it was too late.

[Dinner]

Some of the pieces I've seen on TV don't look that badly burned. They're all small and look like they were blow apart but some of them don't have a single black mark on them.

[Panag]

Originally posted by Jack_www
damn does not look good for them, I dont think they are still alive, not unless they knew the shuttle was breaking up and ejected before it was too late.

leaving at 62.5 kilometers , they would freeze to death , .....

not to mention the shuttle moving at high speed , .....

no , they are gone , ...

[Solver]

damn does not look good for them, I dont think they are still alive, not unless they knew the shuttle was breaking up and ejected before it was too late.

It's impossible to eject out of that shuttle.

[Andrew1999]

In addition to the loss of the crew, the loss of the Columbia shuttle itself is a major blow for NASA. Endeavor was able to be assembled quickly because they had more or less a shuttle's worth of spare parts on hand. I don't think they have that now--they've lost a quarter of their shuttle fleet, probably permanently. Imagine what it would do to operations if the Navy lost 1/4 of its ships or the Air Force lost 1/4 of their planes in one incident.