Space shuttle Explodes duruing landing

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Jwb

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Jan 10, 2002
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National news wires are reporting that the space shuttle Columbia has just exploded in mid air over Texas, while returning from a mission:cry: :

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/

" On Jan. 16, shortly after Columbia lifted off, a piece of insulating foam on its external fuel tank came off and was believed to have struck the left wing of the shuttle. Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard.

Columbia had been aiming for a landing at 9:16 a.m. Saturday.

It was at an altitude of 207,000 feet over north-central Texas at a 9 a.m., traveling at 12,500 mph when Mission Control lost contact and tracking data.

Security had been tight for the 16-day scientific research mission because of the presence of Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut".

It doesn't seem that foul play was involved.
 
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