Space Shuttle Reentry Landing Video (Columbia)

Believe it or not, there was. The worms actually survived the disaster...........protected inside the block of moist earth in the biology capsule. Incredible that any organism could have survived that.

What a terrible shame, I love space exploration but absolutely despise the risks.

Your a fucking idiot. Every risk didn't need to be mitigated to nothing you moron. There was significant risk, and inexcusable failure to follow up on clear warnings that existed pre-reentry.

Seems you can't reply to anyone without an insult.

It sure must be ghastly to live in that black and white world you inhabit. "All one has to do is to locate the significant risks to avoid inexcusable failures". Ever had a car accident in your life? Too bad you couldn't see what was significant ahead of time, wasn't it?

Tell me, when they resumed shuttle flights and on the very first launch more foam fell, was that also an inexcusable failure?

Hmm...who exactly do you want to be in charge? WIll you bitch if they build the shuttle for 10 billion apiece rather than 5, for your lost taxes? You can moan all you want, but it took the team to do the job, and that team included managers, PR flacks, accountants, secretaries, medical people, engineers; hundreds of thousands of desk jockeys. Yes, some bad decisions were made; some worked out and a few didn't. Without the whole team, the shuttle would not have flown. Hind sight is always 20-20.

Some worked out and some didn't?? You retard. This isn't poker to play risks like that with.

 "Hind sight" is not the issue. Lack of foresight IS! There is a substantial difference.

Mankind has yet to rub two humans together and get perfection. Where were you when they launched and were hit by the foam? Where was your foresight? Did you object? Why not, just because you didn't have enough data? Upon what do you believe foresight is built?

Yes, it is a risk. It was a risk when the first B1 bomber crashed. How many astronauts have crashed their trainers and died? Have any idea? No, of course you don't.

Oh, and... Sticks and stones - sticks and stones.

Ummmm - shutte basic cost, about 5 billion 1980 dollars. Mission cost - $600 million (not lost). As for being on camera, I would have it no other way. Would you have preferred to hear about it a week later in a newspaper? Yes, shuttle had lots of testing and test flights - at least 5 orbital flights. And, no, the technology wasn't good enough for unmanned landings.

It made us more cautious, less ambitious. Back to capsules, less manned flight altogether. Much less glamorous, less fun. :(

Remember also that the video you see on the screen is being shot by people on the ground, not NASA. They have no view of it; all they have is telemetry, which is showing a cascade of alarms starting only 5 minutes before breakup. And as stated above, there is no possibility of doing anything to prevent it - not on the ground, not above, once re-entry started. Their fate was sealed when the re-entry burn started in orbit.