...and again, I ask myself, "Why?"...

...2/1/03: Tragedy...

...in March, 1982, the Columbia landed at White Sands, NM...

...2/1/03: Disaster...

...2/1/03: Emergency...

...2/1/03: I was watching TV, surfing through the channels, when a BREAKING NEWS bulletin appered on CNN...at 9:00 AM EST, NASA lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia , flight STS-107as it glided over central & E TX...first there was the data loss, then all communications stopped...it was scheduled to land in FL (Cape Canaveral) @9:16 AM EST...@9:30 AM, NASA declared an emergency...there were contingency procedures put into place...the shuttle had no fuel to restart its engines...the shuttle lifted under very tight security...no threats were made against the flight...it had been in space for 2 weeks, and was carrying animals to see how they would handle conditions in weightless space...at this point the US did not consider this a terrorist attack...Highly unlikely...no rockets fired from land could travel that high...

...What impact would this tragedy have on the current global crisis, or the space program itself?...

...2/1/03: debris has fallen near Nacogdoches, TX...the sherrif received over 4000 calls that AM...1300 pieces have been located in that county...some, like a helmet, were found intact...parts of the space craft have been found in Louisiana...a body part also has been found...NASA has warned people to not get near the debris, for fear of toxic fumes, or making contact with fuel residue...42 people have been taken to hospitals; so far, no serious illnesses or injuries...on a crazy note, one of the pieces had already appeared on E-bay...one of the astronauts was from India, another from Israel, and a third (Laurel Clark) attended middle school in ABQ; her parents & brother still reside here...she also leaves behind a husband & 8-year old son in Racine, WI...NM has two astronauts; one that wen to the moon, another flew in a space shuttle...17 astronauts have died since the beginning of the space program...this is the third space disaster, and the first time in 42 years that tragedy struck when landing...NASA will face the wrath of Congress regarding compromised safety factors...but there are some politicians that have tried to increase NASA's budget for many years, too...

...another shuttle flight was needed to bring the 3 astronauts home from the internat'l space station...following the precedent of the Challenger disaster in 1986, it's unlikely that NASA will undertake any further shuttle missions or any other manned space flights for the next two years...the space station is likely to be left unoccupied for a long time...NASA won't want to use the shuttle again until it can establish the cause of today's accident...it's even conceivable that the shuttle won't fly again...both programs are likely to suffer as a result of this disaster...but sources say that once NASA finds the cause, the problem(s) will be corrected, and the space program will resume...they used a Soyuz craft to bring the remaining astronauts home...but, the Russian shuttle isn't as safe or comfortable, but it will be used...this was the 113th space shuttle flight...

...factors, such as a piece of foam insulation from the external fuel tank which struck the left wing during lift-off...film captured the moment when the tiles first struck the shuttle...also, footage from CA & AZ [Flagstaff] indicate the Columbia was starting to break apart earlier than believed...there were higher temps on the left side of the shuttle just prior to the disaster...NASA would review all available evidence...but experts claim that nothing could really have been done even if the problem were acknowledged at the beginning of the flight...

...2/5/03: a memorial service for Columbia was held at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX...2/6/03: VP Cheney was a speaker at memorial services held at Nat'l Cathedral in DC...2/7/03: services held at the Kennedy Space Center in FL...

...this is a national day of mourning, and will continue until 2/5/03; flags will remain at half staff until then...the President, who had been at Camp David, returned to the White House & addressed the nation...he was solemn & direct: the Columbia was lost; there are no survivors...Our journey into space will go on...this was terrible news for the nation...great sadness...these men & woman had a high & noble purpose in life...

...Disintegrated...

...a "dynamic" in-flight break-up...

...Shuttle lost...

...the temperature on the L side of the fusalage increased just before NASA lost contact with the shuttle...there was also an increased sign of drag...the flight control system had to keep adjusting the flight pattern...and 32 seconds of contact are missing(?)...more than 1500 pieces have fallen to earth...due to the rural areas in that part of TX & LA, some of the debris may not be found for months or years...yet none of the debris struck any aircraft as it sped toward the ground...reports have increased the number of debris pieces to 12,000...

...the likeliest explanation of the crash would be an aerodynamic structural breakup of the shuttle caused by it rolling at the wrong angle...after reentry, the shuttle is descending without power, which means astronauts at the controls can't compensate for a loss of attitude by using the engines...they can only do so using the flaps...that is extremely hard....the shuttle is very difficult to operate, and even more so to correct any problems...in the end, it was an accident...

...KOAT filmed the path of Columbia as it passed over ABQ...people in NM, TX & LA heard a loud boom...homes shook in Palestine, TX...many saw a ball of fire or an explosion...one trail became many as the shuttle broke apart...data findings stopped, then there was a total communication silence...the Columbia was at 200,000+ feet in altitude, traveling at 12,000+ mph...it first flew in 1981, but had been overhauled 50 times...the latest complete workover in 1999, at the cost of $90 million...the Columbia brought a crew to repair the Hubble telescope...it had flown once prior to this time after the most recent refitting...it was the heaviest shuttle, and the only one not capable of docking with the space station...

...the NM National Guard has been put on alert; the debris search area now includes the states of AZ, NM, TX & LA...

...a plume of debris was picked up on weather radar, spanning between TX & LA, giving people the general location of where to investigate...

...2/3/03: as the Columbia began its descent into the atmosphere, the temperature rose on the left side of the fusalage, and the drag was causing the crew to make adjustments or compensation in order to stay on its course...there is also 32 seconds of missing contact from the shuttle prior to the actual tragedy...

...a history of the event will be kept by printing news articles...

...2/8/03: wing found near Hemphill, TX...KAFB & amateur in Sparks, NV have pictures as the shuttle flew across the sky...again, the shuttle may have started to break apart earlier in its flight, as early as when it was still in orbit...

...this tragedy may have more impact than the looking war with Iraq...this event directly affected our country and the people in it...the pictures showed something tangible, something Americans can see & completely understand what had happened...there is a beginning & end to this story...the cause will be determined, and we will continue as a nation...

...America's resources, indurance, emotions & citizens are being stretched to their limits...since 9/11, there has been tragedy of one type or another...the hunt for Osama bin Laden & the al-Qaeda...the sniper attacks in the DC area...a possible Indian/Pakistan "nuclear" conflict...the escalating violence between Arab & Israelis...the Korean incident...the West Nile Virus spread...the possibility of biological or chemical wars...anthrax spread via mail...the sagging economy coupled with massive layoffs...the ENRON & WorldCom scandals...the declining stock market...the floods in Europe, the drought & heat (with the accompanying fires) in much of the US, plus the deep freeze from the Midwest to Florida...and now, this disaster above our country...as a nation, we are exhausted...so much to handle & comprehend in a short period of time (roughly, in 1 1/2 years)...after 9/11, people bought American flags for the cars, windows & clothing...time has past, and the flags are fading...symbolic?...are we looking for someone to lay blame for our problems?...or do we need some place to vent our frustrations; Iraq, for example...