NASA Gives Graphic Details of Columbia Deaths

A new NASA report says that the seat restraints, suits and helmets of the doomed crew of the space shuttle Columbia didn't work well, leading to 'lethal trauma' as the out-of-control ship broke apart, killing all seven astronauts. (Dec. 30)

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News & Politics

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• columbia
• astronauts
• nasa
• graphic
• details
• deaths

[k2477456]

R.I.P. Kalpana Chawla, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, David Brown, Willie McCool, Ilan Ramon, and Michael Anderson.

[Slugg0matic]

I don't know why idiots want to criticize a disaster like this. The complexities of spaceflight are far beyond the comprehension of most people, and it befuddles me as to how navigating YouTube qualifies a person to be an expert critic. Space flight will never be routing or safe. Astronauts are always a millisecond or millimeter from instant death. Got balls? Not behind a keyboard you don't.

[11Wes88]

I'd give my own life to bring these astronauts back to life.

[ElenaTheMonster]

a horrible way to die. :'( RIP

[JohnSkookum]

Here's to the anti-human environmentalist hippies who forced our flagship spacecraft to use inferior "green" insulation! Fuck you all very much, murderers!

[daoneproductions]

@Slugg0matic good job

[clintonearlwalker]

@GunBroker100 Actually, I think the problem is we don't have the technology. It takes months to get a vehicle to Mars, that presents all types of problems for manned vehicles. Couple that with the fact that unmanned vehicles, Earth bound sensors, or orbital probes like Hubble can get nearly the same amount of info for 10 times cheaper or more without the risk of human death as in Columbia, Challenger, Apollo 1 etc.

[GunBroker100]

@clintonearlwalker Yeah, me too. But I remember by this time everyone was supposed to have flying cars too. Now, it's time to construct a ship in orbit that can be used for exploring the solar system. "We have the technology", to borrow from an old T.V. show. As much money as politicians waste on completely stupid stuff, you'd think they could figure out space is still important. It's time to return to the moon and beyond.

[clintonearlwalker]

@GunBroker100 I think the reason the shuttle program was canceled was simply because of money. I remember when these things were on the "drawing board" back in about 1968. NASA said space travel would become commonplace, and these things would become cost effective by launching satellites etc. They never became cost effective and they have now become obsolete. The amount of science they can gather is already known and orbital space flight is no longer necessary.

[phuturephunk01]

cheerful stuff. kind of a given that you're gonna die at 17,500mph. Oh darn, my seatbelt has come loose. Fuck it, gonna die anyway.

[GunBroker100]

@amgen52 Given the variables and conditions under which these craft were launched, I'm honestly amazed there weren't more problems. Even the tried and true airliner has problems and crashes, so with it's safety record, the shuttle is a marvel. cancelling the shuttle was, in my view, a huge mistake. A decision come to by short sighted and lesser politicians. Which I could do happily without. The sooner our space program is back on track, the better.