Tragedy Over Texas – Shuttle Columbia

I guess nobody except Dawn blogs on the weekend. Michelle & I have been on the road since 7:30am this morning and we were almost out of Dallas when the Space Shuttle Columbia passed over the city.

It wouldn’t be until 9am that we would receive a call from Diana (Michelle’s sister) that NASA had lost all contact with the shuttle crew. At that time there was only speculation as to what might be happening. We did learn that this mission was notable in that the first Israeli astronaut was onboard.

We spent the next five hours listening to any AM radio station we could grab as we headed south on I-35 towards Corpus Christi. For hours, all reports were the same, contact had been lost with the shuttle & crew, first person sightings were being called in from Dallas/Fort Worth and debris had been found in east Texas specifically Nacogdoches, TX.

These are pictures that are available now. I would think that people have heard the news by now, but as this was a routine mission most of the nation probably spent the morning going about their daily routine.

The timing of this tragedy is unbelievable. Only days after the anniversary of the Challenger explosion. It will be interesting to see the impact on the space program and future funding.

As I clack away online, the TV’s on in the background. Our hearts & prayers go out to the families of the shuttle team.

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