It looks like the space shuttle Columbia has been lost. The Columbia had the first Israeli astronaut on board. I can't believe this. This week is the anniversary of Challenger.
CNN is showing footage of the debris falling. The administration is saying there's no indication that it was a terrorist attack, since it happened at such a high altitude.
CNN is showing photos that a viewer emailed in. Real time citizen reporting is here. Why did it have to be about this? The picture appears to be the moment of actual explosion; you can see chunks of debris centered on the shuttle. There's a shot of Mission Control, which is utterly quiet. My god.
The Times of India is proud of Kalpana Chawla, as they should be. While this was her second shuttle flight, she was the first person born in India to go to space. If Ilan Ramon deserves recognition for trailblazing, and he does, she does as well. Here are some notes, written by her husband, about the weeks leading up to this mission.
For that matter, all seven on board deserve recognition for their bravery. Rich Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon.
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timeasmymeasure
