Space Shuttle Columbia Breaks Up Over Texas

An anonymous reader writes "NASA lost communication with space shuttle Columbia shortly before its scheduled landing on Saturday. It was unclear whether there were any other problems." Various news programs have been showing debris falling from the sky, and NASA has declared an emergency.Update: 02/01 15:29 GMT by H : Confirmation has come - the shuttle has broken up over Texas while coming in for landing Florida.

Not funny in any way

[perfects]

I don't know about anybody else, but if even one post about this gets modded Funny, I will walk away from SlashDot for good.

If the posts so far are any indication of the number of Genuine Assholes who frequent this site, it's a lost cause anyway.

This is not funny in any way.

Re:I heard it

[Fishstick]

Well, _obviously_ it had to be the work of terrorists, now we just have to figure out who to bomb in response!

Probably Iraq! ...or Afghanistan, or maybe, er... what's that other one? You know, the one with all the brown-skinned people that worship a different god? Evil, I tell you!! Evil!!

* I'm being sarcastic. Most likely this was some kind of mechanical failure and I'm sure I'll feel really bad for the families as soon as this sinks in a little. I'm still in shock.

Re:MOD PARENT UP!!

[MullerMn]

hear hear. Too bad there isn't a way to disable certain mods for boards like this.

Yes, it really is a shame that there isn't more censorship in society. If we don't have someone in authority telling us how to act, think and feel, who knows what might happen.

No Lance Bass?

[Lachrymite]

At least it wouldn't have been a total loss if there was a boy band singer on board.

Re:God rest their souls

[PasteEater]

The way my dog looks at me - I think he knows something I don't

Wow Beliskner, your sig really says it all!

Ahh...

[Anonymous Coward]

One thing that warms my soul about Slashdot's troll community is that, no matter how profound or tragic an event is, they're at the fore keeping it real for the rest of us.

---
Aliens Make First Contact With Mankind
Posted by CmdrTaco on Friday Aug 13, @4:22PM
In an amazing turn of events for the hmuan race, a spacecraft landed in the middle of Iowa just over an hour ago. The three intelligent orbs of light aboard the ship have already given the world knowledge of interstellar travel, an understanding of advanced nanotechnology, and peace in the Middle East. They have promised that none shall go hungry again, that an age of plenty will be had by all, and that our only limitations in the future will be our imaginations.

FP (Score: 0)
by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 13, @4:23PM (#32174720)
I wonder if they've ever been inside a black hole [goatse.cx].

Re:Several Comments

[Guppy06]

"True of shoulder launched missiles, but I'm not so sure about things like the Aegis SM2's, or fighter launched air-to-air missiles. However, it's safe to say, it's very very unlikely it's a missile."

Time to play devil's advocate.

Everybody is rulling out terrorism because no known surface- or air-to-air missle could have hit the shuttle. But none of this rules out the possibility of sabotage. Right now, we can only assume that the debris seen falling off the orbiter during launch was an accident.

DCT (Dumbest Conspiracy Theory)

[Tsar]

FCT (First Conspiracy Theory):
A Mossad space based weapon took them out, so they could blame Arafat as the crew contained the first Israeli in space

Except for the tidbit that Arafat doesn't have that capability. Even if Israel had that capability, why would they do something totally beyond the ability of their enemy, then hope some idiot (no offense) blamed it on them anyway?

When my brother was getting potty trained, he would occasionally take a dump in his drawers, then tell Mom that his sister did it. Congratulations, you've taken the DCT award from him.