The Cellar - View Single Post - Columbia Has Apparently Broken up on Reentry

Chewbaccus · 02-01-2003, 09:43 AM

The Israeli bit is suspicious, unfortunate, but I don't think it holds a lot of water. Columbia left under the tightest security ever because of this guy. It was out of range of any surface-to-air missiles, and I have to believe that if someone DID get a bomb aboard, they would have detonated it during launch instead of landing. Leaving a bomb up there longer, no matter how well concealed, greatly increases the risk factor of it being discovered and dealt with safely.

I think the most likely explanation is that whatever fell off the nose of the external fuel tank - ice, insulation, whatever - and hit furter back on the shuttle dislodged a ceramic tile or two, the crew inspected, deemed it tolerable damage, and were just wrong.

~mike

02-01-2003, 09:43 AM	#3
Chewbaccus Freethinker/booter Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 523	The Israeli bit is suspicious, unfortunate, but I don't think it holds a lot of water. Columbia left under the tightest security ever because of this guy. It was out of range of any surface-to-air missiles, and I have to believe that if someone DID get a bomb aboard, they would have detonated it during launch instead of landing. Leaving a bomb up there longer, no matter how well concealed, greatly increases the risk factor of it being discovered and dealt with safely. I think the most likely explanation is that whatever fell off the nose of the external fuel tank - ice, insulation, whatever - and hit furter back on the shuttle dislodged a ceramic tile or two, the crew inspected, deemed it tolerable damage, and were just wrong. ~mike __________________ Like the wise man said: Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.