-Caveat Lector- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/World/story_8403.asp
Space shuttle disaster, seven dead AP - Space shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames as it streaked over Texas toward its landing strip on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts aboard. "It's gone," said a senior US official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said debris from the shuttle, spread across Texas and apparently some other states, had been positively identified, and there was no hope for either the shuttle or its crew. Six Americans and the first Israeli astronaut were on board. At Kennedy Space Centre, the US flag next to the countdown clock was lowered to half-mast. NASA officials wouldn't confirm that the crew was dead but said President George W. Bush would be making an announcement. Administration officials said there was no immediate indication of terrorism. A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no threat was made and the shuttle was out of range of a surface-to-air missile. Columbia had been expected to land in Florida at 9:16am on Saturday (0116 AEDT Sunday). At 9am, Mission Control lost all data and contact with the crew. At the same time, residents in north Texas reported hearing "a big bang". Television footage showed a bright light over Texas followed by smoke plumes streaking diagonally through the sky. Debris appeared to break off into separate balls of light as it continued downward. NASA declared an emergency after losing contact with the crew and sent search teams to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Residents of Nacogdoches, Texas, said they found bits of metal strewn across the city. Dentist Jeff Hancock said a metal bracket about 30cm long crashed through his office roof. "It's all over Nacogdoches," said barber shop owner James Milford. "There are several little pieces, some parts of machinery ... there's been a lot of pieces about three feet (one metre) wide." Two hours after the shuttle had been expected to land, the giant screen at the front of Mission Control showed a map of the south-west United States and what should have been Columbia's flight path. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe was meeting with the astronauts' families, who had been waiting at Kennedy Space Centre for the shuttle's landing, spokeswoman Melissa Motichek said. "A contingency for the space shuttle has been declared," Mission Control somberly repeated over and over as no word or any data came from Columbia. It was the 113th flight in the shuttle program's 22 years and the 28th flight for Columbia, NASA oldest shuttle. In 42 years of US human space flight, there had never been an accident during the descent to Earth or landing. On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. �AAP 2003 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
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