Now back to your regularly scheduled shuttle disaster:
NPR is reporting that the Space Shuttle Columbia has apparently disintegrated on re-entry, and all hands lost.
Some debris has been sited near it's last know location ( ~200K ft above N Texas) and there have been no communications from the crew since around 800 central time.
They're gone. I've flown shuttle landings in sim. Once you do a burn to break orbit, it's dead stick all the way to New Mexico (or Fl in their case). No power, no chutes, nothing.
The crew included the first Israeli in space.
Please check with other news sources for more pointless details, and enless talking. If in Texas, check local news for debris advisories. The wagers here at the house are on a single cermaic heatshield tile, NPR's wonk seems to think metal fatigue.
*scream* When some asshole stands up in Congress to cut NASA's budget further after this, who will stand up and accuse them of negligent homicide for the budget squeeze on NASA since Apollo? *growl*
I'm off to go teach class. Mobile should work. Fuck.
What was the STS mission number?