Archive through February 03, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: 2003 January: Breaking News ... Headlines Only Please (ARCHIVE): Archive through February 03, 2003

Kaili

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Space Shuttle Explosion...

Cablejockey

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:40 am EditMoveDeleteIP
At first I thought they were showing a replay of the Challenger disaster, then horribly realized this is a new one--the Columbia. I think it was landing and then came apart. They are telling people in Texas not to touch any debris if they come across it.

Faerygdds

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:45 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Cable... I don't know where you are, but here in Dallas, Texas we actually felt and heard the boom. It sounded like a sonic boom and it rattled the windows. There are currently 2 theories. They lost contact while it was coming in for a landing. At this time they are not sure if something happened on re-entry that caused the vessel to explode OR if due to the Israeli Coalition that was sent up with the American astronauts... if it was a terrorist attack as in there was a bomb on board. Security for this mission was stepped up because of the Israeli astronauts on board.

Webkitty

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:47 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Not again..... this is awful...I saw Kaili's post and turned on the tv. Juju is in south Texas right now? I wonder if she heard it......
Their saying they don't think it was terrorists at this point, it was at too high of an altitude to be shot down.

Webkitty

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Faery, didn't see your post, you heard it?

Schoolmarm

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:54 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Meterologist in Louisiana is reporting now on CBS...they usually hear one sonic boom when shuttle goes over. This time they heard many sonic booms.

The video of the craft breaking up looks like a series of falling starts.

It doesn't look like there will be survivors.

Cablejockey

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:55 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Faery, I am in Toronto and was just going thru the tv channels and came across the story, its unbeleivable. On the cnn site, they are saying the families of the crew have all been taken somewhere to await the news. Those poor souls. It feels like the Challenger again. I hope they get to the bottom of this quickly.

Cyn

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:57 am EditMoveDeleteIP
NY1 is live, but showing CNN live footage.
CNN.com has a profile up of each astronaut.
This is terrible!

Urgrace

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 06:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
They don't believe this is terrorist related. It happend 15 minutes prior to landing in Florida over Palestine, Texas. They say that pieces of the fuel tank hit the shuttle on take off which damaged the shuttle.

Twinkie

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 07:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
My heart is just sick. I can't believe this has happened again. I was standing outside watching the Challenger go up when it exploded. I'd seen every launch and knew immediately what had happened. Our neighbors all knew too and we all gasped and then cried. What a sad day this is.

Urgrace

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 07:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
There was no ejection system in the shuttle. At 200,000 feet at mach six there would be no point in ejection.

Witnesses report debris has come down in several Texas counties.

Urgrace

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 07:16 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Official at Space Center has declared "Shuttle Lost", but NASA had no indication of possible trouble prior to incident.

Search and rescue has been alerted.

Cyn

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 07:30 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Even the most sophisticated missile wouldn’t have the capabilities to reach where the shuttle was.

If it were terrorism, it would have to have come from something being placed on board before take off.

Twinkie

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 07:31 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Families of the astronauts, who were waiting at the Cape for touchdown, have been taken away to a gathering room for further word. I believe that it is search and recovery now. Not search and rescue.

Twinkie

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 07:53 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Mods, could you move the posts in here that pertain to the new thread?

Thanks

Cyn

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 12:41 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Debris Could Be Toxic Hazard Report All Debris To NASA
Posted: 2:44 p.m. CST February 1, 2003
Updated: 2:50 p.m. CST February 1, 2003

HOUSTON -- The public should not handle debris from the space shuttle Columbia since it can be very dangerous, even toxic, News2Houston reported Saturday.

Expert Explains Debris Hazard

"Anytime you have a catastrophic event such as this, you can have all sorts of sizes of debris that may be scattered over a wide area. And so the size of the debris and the way that it may be torn apart or may be subjected to heat could be distorted. (It) not only represents a hazard itself, but it may not be immediately recognizable to some individuals so they need to exercise some caution if they see something they haven't recognized before in their area," said Dr. Robert Emery, with the UT Health Science Center.

Officials are concerned that the debris is contaminated with a variety of substances.

One of the chemicals in the shuttle propellants is hydrazine.

"(Hydrazine) is a chemical that is used in propellant systems and it's not only an explosion hazard but it's a very powerful toxicant, especially if it gets on the skin. It results in penetrating burns to the skin. And it's a suspected carcinogen so this is why there's a lot of attention being focused on getting the public to not tamper with or touch any of the debris because it could possibly represent a significant health hazard," Emery said.

Emery said that a lot of biomedical research was also on board the shuttle.

"There could be all sorts of things inherent to that activity. There might be chemical solvents. There could be biological agents. There might be radioactive material in the form of tracers. These would be relatively small amounts. But nonetheless, it would not be dissimilar to a research lab that's carried out on the ground," Emery said.

Emery said that the most important thing is to not touch it.

"If it appears as though you either smell or something is off-gassing there, stay upwind of it and then notify the local authorities, not only for your safety, but it's important for the reconstruction (of what happened)," Emery said.

Hydrazine has an ammonia-like odor; it's colorless with white crystals and can be distributed through the air.

The symptoms from hydrazine exposure include the following:

penetrating burns
nausea
dizziness
Hydrazine can be explosive if it has contact with heat.

The Environmental Protection Agency has prepared to coordinate the cleanup effort.

Anyone who finds debris is asked to contact NASA at (281) 483-4441.

http://www.click2houston.com/
that's the link and they are updating regularly.

Rissa

Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 09:25 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Seven skiers dead in second deadly B.C. avalanche in a month


>>REVELSTOKE, B.C. (CP) - Seven teens on a high-school ski excursion in the treacherous back country of east-central B.C. died Saturday when a half-kilometre-wide avalanche roared down from a mountainside and engulfed their group.

It was the second deadly slide to hit the region in as many weeks. Seven adults perished in a slide in January. The dead were six boys and one girl, all in Grade 10 at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, a private day school on an expansive rural campus in the foothills southwest of Calgary. >>

{sobbing} This is us. We live 5 minutes from the school and the kids live all around us. I haven't told my daughters yet... waiting until the names are released.

Nimtu

Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 04:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
{{{{Rissa}}}} God Bless.

Grannyg

Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 05:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
So sorry Rissa. Hugs and prayers to you and your family!! What a tragic accident. Keep us posted and know that lots of prayers are coming to you!

((((((((((((Rissa)))))))))))))))

Ryn

Monday, February 03, 2003 - 05:54 am EditMoveDeleteIP
This area had been moved to "hot topics" but it was felt it belongs in the "General Discusion" area. The key is in the thread title, "Headlines only please" - meaning no discussion ;)

thanks.

Squaredsc

Monday, February 03, 2003 - 06:29 am EditMoveDeleteIP
((((Rissa)))) i am so sorry, big hugs to you and your family.

Cyn

Monday, February 03, 2003 - 08:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
(((((((Rissa & Family))))))) I'm sorry.

you Mods are just busy little bees makin our lives easier.

Twinkie

Monday, February 03, 2003 - 01:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
{{{Rissa}}} I am so sorry.

Twiggyish

Monday, February 03, 2003 - 02:15 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
((Rissa)) I'm sorry.

Whit4you

Monday, February 03, 2003 - 06:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
{{{{{ Rissa}}}} my thoughts are with you