Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy: WFAA's first breaking coverage

This is the first breaking coverage on the morning the space shuttle Columbia broke apart above Texas. February 1, 2003.
Jason Whitely looks back on the Columbia disaster 15 years later: • The Columbia disaster:...
STORY: www.wfaa.com/article/features...
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Пікірлер: 2 300

  • @711tornado
    @711tornado4 жыл бұрын

    1:53 "we're not gonna draw too many assumptions here, we're gonna try and give you information as we can confirm it." man how news has changed.

  • @jont7331

    @jont7331

    4 жыл бұрын

    It's not hard to imagine what happens when a shuttle breaks apart going 18 times the speed of sound, 200,000ft up with no way to abort.. Any person with half a brain would know they were all dead by the time this video was shot, and in the impossibility someone survived that (they wouldn't) they would be dead once they hit the ground

  • @TheEmeraldMenOfficial

    @TheEmeraldMenOfficial

    4 жыл бұрын

    Jon T So? You don’t want to just say “Yeah, they are dead”, you want to hold out hope. You want to keep your audience listening.

  • @11creeper45

    @11creeper45

    3 жыл бұрын

    Jon T just curious why you did not just say the speed of sound why did you say 1x

  • @user-de4cq6uk6l

    @user-de4cq6uk6l

    3 жыл бұрын

    Jon T *18 times the speed of sound

  • @jont7331

    @jont7331

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@user-de4cq6uk6l yeah i forgot to put an 8 on there.

  • @eddiecongdon8017
    @eddiecongdon80175 жыл бұрын

    People may not realize but when NASA says something is behind schedule especially like 7 minutes late you know something is very wrong because they usually have these landings down to the second of when they should have landed

  • @stephencourton3328

    @stephencourton3328

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah clearly NASA highly concerned when communication dropped off but likely at first hoped just transmission failure. As time went on no communication no tracking the concern likely grew quick and missing landing time they know was bad news but maybe held very slight hope shuttle maybe had to try to land somewhere else.

  • @andrewtaylor940

    @andrewtaylor940

    5 жыл бұрын

    Stephen Courton if you listen to the flight control transcripts you can hear the tension in the room rising as they started to lose sensors in the wing and wheel well. They realized what was happening as soon as they started getting temperature spikes and feared the worst immediately.

  • @coocato

    @coocato

    4 жыл бұрын

    Andrew Taylor Yeah, space travel is dangerous. One small move or failure of inspection could cause tragedy.

  • @courtneywright2549

    @courtneywright2549

    4 жыл бұрын

    NASA knew it had a bad chance of making it back safely.

  • @Zoomer30

    @Zoomer30

    4 жыл бұрын

    It was a glider: It can't be late or early. And anyone who was experienced in watching Shuttles fly over on the way to land knew this was very bad.

  • @matthewadair4507
    @matthewadair4507 Жыл бұрын

    I can’t believe it’s been almost 20 years. Rest In Peace to the crew of Columbia. Godspeed. I wish you were here with us.

  • @stevesgaming7475

    @stevesgaming7475

    Жыл бұрын

    Wow, time flies!

  • @elijahvincent985

    @elijahvincent985

    Жыл бұрын

    I was six years old when I was visiting the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base around the time this shuttle took off and there was a huge display of NASA stuff and a dedicated section of Astronauts (which remain on display even now). Little did I know, that very week, this tragedy occurred. So sad.

  • @buddyrebel_Garcia

    @buddyrebel_Garcia

    Жыл бұрын

    19 years! 20 on 2 months

  • @ari1758

    @ari1758

    Жыл бұрын

    @@buddyrebel_Garcia hence the “ALMOST 20 years.” read.

  • @buddyrebel_Garcia

    @buddyrebel_Garcia

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ari1758 eat me

  • @notsojoerogan
    @notsojoerogan5 жыл бұрын

    "We're gonna try and give you information as we can confirm it" Words the modern news outlets do not live by... unfortunately

  • @JSSTyger

    @JSSTyger

    5 жыл бұрын

    They didn't in 2001 either. The BBC announced of World Trade Tower 7 23 minutes before it fell.

  • @sirkayda7205

    @sirkayda7205

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@JSSTyger - Before it was demolished.

  • @Jeroscope

    @Jeroscope

    4 жыл бұрын

    It's also a local news station which seem to be more responsible.

  • @policerthought5649

    @policerthought5649

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@JSSTyger Oh what a shock, they announced that a building that had been gouged out completely on one side and had been burning for nearly six hours, AFTER THE TWO LARGEST BUILDINGS IN AMERICA HAD JUST COLLAPSED, was in danger of collapsing. Seriously, what an unbelievable coincidence.

  • @JSSTyger

    @JSSTyger

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@policerthought5649 well the NIST did say in their report that structural damage from the tower collapses was insignificant to the collapse of tower 7. They said the fires were intense enough to bring it down with or without prior damage.

  • @kirtically5497
    @kirtically54975 жыл бұрын

    Can I appreciate the news channel reporting this whole thing? They are not jumping to any conclusions before a solid source actually confirms anything. Also, the studio anchors seem to know the basics of such space travels. Now a days, the news channels would make a circus out of it. Edit: you guys are so riled up in the replies hahaha. I live in India and our mainstream media is just as big a circus as the USA so we are in this together. Cheers!

  • @D45VR

    @D45VR

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@jaydouglas8845 you are 100% correct.

  • @MrArmenian17

    @MrArmenian17

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@jaydouglas8845 this isn't the first comment like this. Just part of someone's agenda, undermine public trust in journalism.

  • @coltonreeves6893

    @coltonreeves6893

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@MrArmenian17 Journalists have already done a very good job of undermining the public's trust in journalism

  • @MrArmenian17

    @MrArmenian17

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@coltonreeves6893 nah, that's just muddying the waters. People should be smart enough to figure out what's bullshit, what's a headline, and what's reputable information.

  • @pulver117

    @pulver117

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@MrArmenian17 "Just part of someone's agenda, undermine public trust in journalism." and then saying "People should be smart enough to figure out what's bullshit, what's a headline, and what's reputable information." Just shows how twisted your view is. In what world should the "greatest" nation have to sift through the piles of corporate media trash that is bias editing, reviewing, "analysing" and opinionating to somehow decipher the truth? The corporate media is in it for the money and their own political gains. They don't give a shit about you or I, only that we keep watching, ratings.

  • @marcwharb333
    @marcwharb3334 жыл бұрын

    Remember when journalists actually reported the news?These guys handled this like pros.

  • @FIRE-LOTUS

    @FIRE-LOTUS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Local reporters will be far more professional than all those other mainstream news channels.

  • @billystephens9450

    @billystephens9450

    4 жыл бұрын

    It the local ABC affiliate. Trust me. Lived there for 40 years.

  • @Simon_PieMan

    @Simon_PieMan

    4 жыл бұрын

    Even BBC here in UK are now obsessed with giving an immediate answer - so dumbed down it’s sad.

  • @kevinm2365

    @kevinm2365

    4 жыл бұрын

    Well I mean they were pros

  • @avada0

    @avada0

    3 жыл бұрын

    They'd F-ing describe a chicken as maybe, possibly an animal. Awaiting confirmation.

  • @lofthouse23
    @lofthouse233 жыл бұрын

    The COMPLETE silence in Mission Control is absolutely chilling. Rest in Peace, lost crew.

  • @leecowell8165

    @leecowell8165

    2 жыл бұрын

    yeah they knew as soon as hydraulics was lost that the orbiter was lost as well.

  • @charlessmith263

    @charlessmith263

    Жыл бұрын

    @@leecowell8165 What caused that disastrous re-entry failure? What set it off?

  • @lastdolphinator4033

    @lastdolphinator4033

    Жыл бұрын

    @@charlessmith263 damage sustained on lift-off, nasa refused to review and fix the crews concerns. Upon re-entry, the crews concerns proved to be founded, but you can see that.

  • @Mr.HotRod

    @Mr.HotRod

    10 ай бұрын

    I believe upon liftoff a rather small piece of the tile shielding fell off the main part of the body and punched a hole in the left wing. It made it during the 2 weeks in space because there is no direct superheat on the shuttle in space but as soon as it started to land the superheated air at 12,000 to 16,000 miles per hour crept into the hole on the left wing and eventually burnt and melted all the critical controls and doomed the whole shuttle. Brave souls, we shall never forget all 14 of the 2 shuttle crews.

  • @tomtagliente1464
    @tomtagliente14645 жыл бұрын

    January 16, 2003 she launched. 16 days in space 16 minutes from home.

  • @buckmurdock2572

    @buckmurdock2572

    5 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful, lyrical tribute.

  • @anthonybarr301

    @anthonybarr301

    4 жыл бұрын

    16 years and one month after the challenger disaster

  • @anthonybarr301

    @anthonybarr301

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@K.herrington7763 i know but that would be a crazy coincidence

  • @BriaBri

    @BriaBri

    4 жыл бұрын

    3 days after i was born..

  • @psxfan9240

    @psxfan9240

    4 жыл бұрын

    16 cities of texas and louisiana the debris was recovered from

  • @bloodhawk2687
    @bloodhawk2687 Жыл бұрын

    Can't believe it's been 20 years now. I was 12 at the time, and I still remember my dad coming in and waking me up to tell me what was going on. Sat in bed for over an hour watching the news coverage. Definitely one of those things that sticks with you. RIP crew of Columbia.

  • @steelpipetv2073

    @steelpipetv2073

    Жыл бұрын

    I was 18 in 2003 I remember that Saturday morning it was really cold outside

  • @xpensfanatic2009

    @xpensfanatic2009

    Жыл бұрын

    I was 12 then too. My uncle called my grandma to ask if we were watching the news, and we weren't, so we put it on for the rest of the morning.

  • @timhornswaggle1243

    @timhornswaggle1243

    Жыл бұрын

    So sad. I still have all of the news reports saved on vhs tapes.

  • @wjroberts913

    @wjroberts913

    Жыл бұрын

    This is too eerie! My 12-year-old son came barging into my bedroom (I worked nights) to wake me exactly as you described your dad woke you . . .

  • @ethanwashoe5868

    @ethanwashoe5868

    Жыл бұрын

    I’m surprised I never heard of this event until today I would of been 8 at the time and didn’t find out about this until watching the challenger documentary on Netflix

  • @AlonsoRules
    @AlonsoRules5 жыл бұрын

    I wish news was like this nowadays

  • @randyfox364

    @randyfox364

    5 жыл бұрын

    This is exactly how Fox News reports today. No assumptions until statement or data comes forward. I take it you watch CNN MSNBC. Lololol

  • @AlonsoRules

    @AlonsoRules

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was watching CNN nearly 3 years ago and they were bashing Trump. This rhetoric still continues today.

  • @Adam-nb6im

    @Adam-nb6im

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@randyfox364 Lol you're deluded. Fox is just as bad as CNN.

  • @ramirezzavala5174

    @ramirezzavala5174

    5 жыл бұрын

    Ik

  • @ReservedGuest

    @ReservedGuest

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@AlonsoRules Well duh he was announcing his candidacy for president. It's no different than how Fox treated Obama, get over it.

  • @rachaelbunny6198
    @rachaelbunny6198 Жыл бұрын

    I remember this day so clearly. My sweet, wonderful Dad, who was currently and HAD worked out there at the cape for almost fifteen years was watching something on television and crying. I had never seen this man cry. As an eleven year old girl, it scared me. I remember asking him, "Daddy, what's wrong?" And he looked up, with tears flooding his eyes and said, "the shuttle blew up, honey. Everyone is probably dead." And just solemnly looked back at the television. My Dad died last year and I'm now 31 years old with my own kids. And yet, I'll never get this memory out of my head. The pain he felt for the loss of the astronauts was so tangible and present that I can still feel it to this day when I relive this moment in my head. So unbelievably sad and needlessly tragic.

  • @jonathanrogers8838

    @jonathanrogers8838

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm sorry for your loss

  • @Hidingfrompeople

    @Hidingfrompeople

    11 ай бұрын

    Sure.

  • @TheLucidSpecter

    @TheLucidSpecter

    10 ай бұрын

    Are you sure that wasn't mom?

  • @RedHotMessResell

    @RedHotMessResell

    7 ай бұрын

    I had a similar experience with my dad when Dale Earnhardt died. And I didn’t fully understand it and then dad died 7 years later pretty rapidly from when we heard about the cancer. It’s so weird to look back on those defining moments and how they fit into place in a lifetime

  • @hirakbanerjee7514
    @hirakbanerjee75144 жыл бұрын

    I still remember that day. It was night time in India & i was off to bed with my grandad. Mom came into my room saying 'YOU REMEMBER KALPANA CHAWLA? ABOUT WHOM YOU READ IN YOUR SCHOOL? SHE IS DEAD' That night & that news are still fresh in my memory.

  • @BlokeBritish

    @BlokeBritish

    3 жыл бұрын

    @ISHAN PATEL no, she walks in and starts narrating the entire story right from day 1 of Columbia's voyage. then she talks about the fun times the crew may hv had, how they spent time etc. and finally she says Kalpana Chawla is dead !

  • @KathrynRoberts60
    @KathrynRoberts604 жыл бұрын

    Between the Challenger and Columbia I still can't wrap my head around the horror they went through.💔

  • @jaygosev3589

    @jaygosev3589

    3 жыл бұрын

    Challenger crew fell for two minutes. Still alive the entire way down. Columbia crew died INSTANTLY. The split second after the crew compartment depressurized. They didn't even have time to lower their visors. Snap. Instant. They never knew what hit em

  • @KC______

    @KC______

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@jaygosev3589 Theoretically that is how it happens. Nobody knows what it is like to die (except Jesus Christ), I don't think (and for my own sake I hope not) the dead know or remember what it's like to die. On the Strength 💪🗽✊🇺🇸

  • @majorphysics3669

    @majorphysics3669

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@KC______ what he means is they were instantly dead, no suffering.

  • @majorphysics3669

    @majorphysics3669

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@jaygosev3589 I think with challenger the crew was unconscious for most of it.

  • @sammencia7945

    @sammencia7945

    2 жыл бұрын

    Challenger some alive all way down from 45k feet. Impact with ocean at 300mph was what did it. Columbia the g-forces from spinning woukd have caused all to blackout. Ejection into upper atmosphere at 17000mph would leave no trace. Only helmets survived. A few remains but not of everyone.

  • @jameslyons3320
    @jameslyons33206 жыл бұрын

    As we drank our coffee, the house shook and there was a Loud boom. We immediately turned on WFAA to see the live video, prior to the studio coming on with Brad's analysis.

  • @DONUTBUZZCUT

    @DONUTBUZZCUT

    6 жыл бұрын

    Same here!

  • @Nukenado-dr9nz

    @Nukenado-dr9nz

    6 жыл бұрын

    Wait Palestine I live 20 miles away

  • @robertbennett5192

    @robertbennett5192

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was awakened by an explosion that actually SHOOK my house. I thought it was a bomb because the house literally pitched me out of the bed. I opened the sliding door to my rear deck ten feet away and looked around the corner of the house, as I lived on a busy highway and thought it was an accident out there. I looked up to a clear blue sky and saw a distinct vapor trail with hundreds of sparkling pieces glittering and raining down like fireworks. I lived in Frankston, Texas about 30 miles north of Palestine, Tx. at the time. For the next several days and weeks we would see these strange white non descipt looking vehicles patrolling the highways in the area. And yes, there were plenty of warnings not to touch anything we may find on our property. ( As if that would deter someone, lol).

  • @Nukenado-dr9nz

    @Nukenado-dr9nz

    5 жыл бұрын

    My dad building a fence at the time he threw a piece of scrap metal in my family yard 5 hours later police came to our house because our neighbor called the police thinking it was a piece of the Colombia space ship

  • @robertbennett5192

    @robertbennett5192

    5 жыл бұрын

    Nukenado yup. We all have those kinda neighbors. It was paranoia city around these parts for a few weeks with those people overrunning the area. People, I swear!!!

  • @don312000
    @don3120004 жыл бұрын

    I'll never forget the sinking feeling when I first heard Columbia was late for landing--knowing that the only thing that can make a shuttle landing late is a REALLY bad day.

  • @jogman262

    @jogman262

    Жыл бұрын

    Yep. No holding pattern possible for the Shuttle.

  • @chrisgailus3411
    @chrisgailus3411 Жыл бұрын

    20 years... I remember every moment of this coverage like it was yesterday. I was so thankful to be sharing the anchor desk with veteran Brad Watson as we related the horrifying reality of what was happening. We showed the first spectacular shot of the shuttle streaking across the sky live, and then went to a commercial break.. but because Brad was doing the voice over in that moment, I was watching the live shot intently and was the first to notice the apparent break-up. We discussed it in the commercial break, and as we were taking a second look at it... just a couple of minutes later our producer spoke into our ears to say the shuttle was "overdue" in Florida. I knew in that moment it was disaster. If it wasn't for WFAA cameraman John Pronk who set up in the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas, as he had done for other fly-overs, we would not have had such a clear record of this dark moment in America's space history.

  • @Palabrota

    @Palabrota

    Жыл бұрын

    You and your whole team did a great job handling such an awful situation with so little information to go on at first. Thanks for coming back here to leave us your memories of the day.

  • @Kasperion
    @Kasperion5 жыл бұрын

    Excellent reporting, WFAA. This should be taught as a template for how to do it right. Well done.

  • @hothotheat3000

    @hothotheat3000

    2 жыл бұрын

    And they correctly identified the cause!

  • @aaronumbergerau
    @aaronumbergerau3 жыл бұрын

    I remember when Columbia went down. I was six years old, living just south of Waco, TX, and I recall helicopters flying over my house at incredibly low altitudes as they were conducting their recovery efforts. I don't think I'll ever forget it.

  • @TheFelixGaribay

    @TheFelixGaribay

    Жыл бұрын

    S.Waco and I was 12 years old

  • @RB01.10

    @RB01.10

    7 ай бұрын

    Recovery efforts? How could they recover anyone since it was obvious no one would’ve survived ?

  • @sofakingraw4149

    @sofakingraw4149

    7 ай бұрын

    Crazy I grew up in Killeen

  • @darkheart9044

    @darkheart9044

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@RB01.10 They have to be sure. Besides, they needed to recover the pieces of the shuttle, too. I am from Denmark, I remember it was shown on national tv here. I was 22 at the time. Terrible and it was an accident, that din't had to happen, but NASA once again din't take their responsibility seriously, just as they didn't do with the Challenger accident. Sadly, 14 people had to pay the ultimate price for it.

  • @WolfPrideProductions
    @WolfPrideProductions5 жыл бұрын

    I was only 8, I wanted to be an astronaut, had my helmet on and everything when I watched it live. I don't remember a whole lot, I remember the excitement with my toy shuttle in hand, my visor kept falling, and I couldn't wait for the return. I wanted to be like like Laurel Clark, as a little girl she was a great role model, with all of her achievements how could she not be. Watched my role model die on TV, kind of broke my dream of being an astronaut, but I still watch the stars and think of the crew. It's always going to be one of those distant memories you never forget for me.

  • @countproductions6553

    @countproductions6553

    4 жыл бұрын

    WolfPrideProductions wow. this really hit home for me. 😢

  • @ThinkPIONEERing

    @ThinkPIONEERing

    4 жыл бұрын

    To never let your dreams die is a difficult undertaking especially under circumstances such as these... I hope that one day your dream is re-captured in a similar way, shape, form, and /or opportunity....

  • @nunyabiz7473

    @nunyabiz7473

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hopefully with SpaceX, you can still travel to the stars one day :)

  • @thetoad8253

    @thetoad8253

    4 жыл бұрын

    WolfPrideProductions you should continue to pursue that dream of yours. Achieving your goals will have to come with failure and tradegy. Continue pursuing your dream of becoming an astronaut, don’t let any failure or tradegy stop you, it’s just how life is.

  • @olivergrumitt8033
    @olivergrumitt80334 жыл бұрын

    Well done to the presenters for reporting this tragedy in a calm and professional way. Just minutes after the disaster occurred, they got the cause spot on.

  • @STSRTF

    @STSRTF

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yes they did and Miles O'Brien also told the phsical cause of the disaster within a hour of it happening.

  • @queenofswords6463

    @queenofswords6463

    Жыл бұрын

    Back in the day where there were real journalists properly reporting news.

  • @Rishi123456789

    @Rishi123456789

    10 ай бұрын

    "Well done to the presenters for reporting this tragedy in a calm and professional way." Don't praise them for doing what they are supposed to do. Raise your standards. These people get paid to report things in a calm way.

  • @rickbeauchene8694

    @rickbeauchene8694

    8 ай бұрын

    ​@@Rishi123456789L take. These guy are doing much better than modern news anchors. Modern news would mention it for a minute or 2, then move on the something unimportant and meaningless for a few hours

  • @Rishi123456789

    @Rishi123456789

    8 ай бұрын

    @@rickbeauchene8694: "L take." Wrong. Raise your standards. "These guy are doing much better than modern news anchors." Learn my language before you talk to me again, esl zoomie. lol

  • @fiercenarcopathfighter6453
    @fiercenarcopathfighter64535 жыл бұрын

    They were almost home😢😭😭😭😭

  • @jasonrjohnston

    @jasonrjohnston

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yup. Now they really are home.

  • @eddiecongdon8017

    @eddiecongdon8017

    5 жыл бұрын

    @MI6 I read that they had about 41 seconds of knowing there was a problem

  • @writerchick10

    @writerchick10

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@eddiecongdon8017 Well yeah, the orbiter was spinning out of control & they certainly attempted to regain control of the shuttle before losing consciousness.

  • @mickfunny4185

    @mickfunny4185

    4 жыл бұрын

    MI6 NASA could’ve launched another shuttle to attempt and transfer the Columbia crew, while in orbit. There was enough oxygen (about 2 weeks worth left) and they could’ve just left the Columbia to stay in orbit forever, but no, they didn’t even try,

  • @aaroncushinberry1030

    @aaroncushinberry1030

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@eddiecongdon8017Some of NASA's higher ups knew but decided not to tell the crew or Mission Control!

  • @corettaha7855
    @corettaha78555 жыл бұрын

    Wow I’m really proud of the restraint of the reporters in this coverage. Nowadays they’d be reporting everyone was killed and visiting their parents to get first scoop of watching their families react to live news of the deaths of their family members before even confirming anything. How far the news media have sunk from these glory days of breaking news! RIP Columbia shuttle crew.

  • @policerthought5649

    @policerthought5649

    5 жыл бұрын

    The fact that you're using this tragedy to push your anti-media agenda is sickening. You should be ashamed of yourself.

  • @rfi-cryptolab4251

    @rfi-cryptolab4251

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@policerthought5649 It's the truth. The mainstream media is all about fear and control.

  • @reminiscer15

    @reminiscer15

    2 жыл бұрын

    Honestly in this situation it wouldn't be a problem to come to that conclusion, seeing a shuttle break apart like that would leave anyone with no hope. It would not have been just making assumptions, it would have been stating the sad realistic truth and it can be done in a tactful way as well.

  • @leecowell8165

    @leecowell8165

    2 жыл бұрын

    Coretta you nailed it. The news nowadays is absolutely disgusting. Embellishing the truth? Not quite they outright LIE! I no longer watch it.

  • @denverb585

    @denverb585

    Жыл бұрын

    @@policerthought5649 no. He shouldn't be ashamed. You should be ashamed for your comment. The media today sensationalizes. Media, at the time, reported.

  • @thesexualintellectual5087
    @thesexualintellectual5087 Жыл бұрын

    It's crazy to know that everyone knows what happened as soon as they saw the video yet no one said it till NASA did. I will never forget going in my back yard in Texas to watch and see it break apart. I was 13 and knew immediately

  • @markherring3513

    @markherring3513

    Жыл бұрын

    Wow..u watched it happen from your backyard..thats surreal.

  • @mikemud3216

    @mikemud3216

    5 ай бұрын

    Back when being right was more important than being first.

  • @michaelscott-joynt3215
    @michaelscott-joynt32155 жыл бұрын

    It was hard walking in to astronomy class on Monday. The way the teacher sort of hung her head that day is a sad memory I won't forget.

  • @domersftw1503

    @domersftw1503

    4 жыл бұрын

    People say it was punishment for Iraq war on america.

  • @___P___H___T___M___
    @___P___H___T___M___3 жыл бұрын

    I remember being in the third grade when this happened. Our teacher was a huge NASA fan and she started crying while telling my class about Earth's atmosphere; and what happens during a space shuttle's re-entry. Very sad day that we don't remember often enough.

  • @STSRTF

    @STSRTF

    3 жыл бұрын

    I was 10 years old when this happened and I remember it very well. Columbia would have flown to the ISS for the first time in November 2003 had it not disintegrated.

  • @Doxymeister

    @Doxymeister

    Жыл бұрын

    I was in my 40's then. I still remember, a bit like 9/11, where I was when it happened--walking back up to the house from feeding the horses, getting ready to leave for work. This was my first time living under the flight path of the shuttles, so when I heard the boom, I thought at first it was just a sonic boom from the speed, but the flash gave me a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach. Of course, by the time I got to work it was on the news. What a terrible day, sad day. Have been a big fan of NASA and love anything to do with space, and this just broke my heart.

  • @93seronica

    @93seronica

    Жыл бұрын

    I was also in the 3rd grade when this happened and I remember seeing live footage of the shuttle falling to earth on the news

  • @STSRTF
    @STSRTF3 жыл бұрын

    This happened exactly 18 years ago today.

  • @WWF0928
    @WWF0928 Жыл бұрын

    February 1, 2003-February 1, 2023 Twenty years ago today RIP to the crew of Columbia

  • @gypsytricia
    @gypsytricia3 жыл бұрын

    So surreal to watch it actually breaking apart before our eyes...that it was caught on video...and this was the end of those poor souls right exactly here. I remember watching just minutes before as it went overhead and I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. How truly, truly heartbreaking.

  • @leokimvideo
    @leokimvideo3 жыл бұрын

    I really hope NETFLIX do a doco on this avoidable Space Shuttle accident.

  • @Vince77777777

    @Vince77777777

    3 жыл бұрын

    Both Shuttle losses were avoidable...

  • @spaceman9599

    @spaceman9599

    3 жыл бұрын

    This SECOND avoidable Space Shuttle accident, and after another near miss too :/

  • @tweetdreams2674

    @tweetdreams2674

    3 жыл бұрын

    They did

  • @hectorvega4221

    @hectorvega4221

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@tweetdreams2674 that was for the challenger disaster not this one

  • @youravaragejoe5102

    @youravaragejoe5102

    3 жыл бұрын

    This was not avoidable... The moment the foam piece pierced the RCC panel it was the beginning of the end for Columbia here was not coming back

  • @peabody3000
    @peabody30005 жыл бұрын

    pretty crazy that at 13:15, the exact cause of the accident is announced in detail just minutes after the disaster. it wasn't really publicly known but must have been a big deal the whole time for the press to be so well acquainted

  • @PointReflex

    @PointReflex

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, not knowing it at the time, that guy was right on the money.

  • @srinitaaigaura

    @srinitaaigaura

    3 жыл бұрын

    It was common sense. Everyone knew it. That was a mighty big impact. The rest of the investigation was all about getting the details.

  • @peabody3000

    @peabody3000

    2 жыл бұрын

    @R J i didn't even hint that it was confirmation, and i didn't twist his words in any way at all

  • @ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid

    @ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid

    Жыл бұрын

    @@srinitaaigaura Literally 0% of your comment is accurate, bud.

  • @princedarkness8029
    @princedarkness80294 жыл бұрын

    Watching the video knowing that these are the crews final moments just heartbreking

  • @blaster915
    @blaster915 Жыл бұрын

    I remember when this happened, I lived in Florida at the time as a kid and my dad took me outside as we would always go out to hear the sonic boom of the shuttle flying overhead. I'll never forget the change of look on my dad's face when the boom never came, and mum came out to tell us to come in and watch the news.

  • @clamcrewcarclub6017

    @clamcrewcarclub6017

    8 ай бұрын

    Well you probably wouldn’t have heard the boom even if nothing went wrong, considering it was landing in Texas lol

  • @OX3YMORON

    @OX3YMORON

    4 ай бұрын

    @@clamcrewcarclub6017the shuttle was actually en route to land at the kennedy space center in Canaveral.

  • @miss.g-shun-w
    @miss.g-shun-w5 жыл бұрын

    I was 19 years old living in Dallas. My mom, our beautician and myself were walking into her hair salon, when we heard a distant but loud BOOM. We all assumed it was a dump truck emptying a large trash dumpster or something similar. Later that day when I saw the time stamp of when it disintegrated, I realized what that booming noise was. I'll never forget where I was that day.

  • @GuessHowSid
    @GuessHowSid Жыл бұрын

    This is incredible footage. They caught the exact moment of shuttle breakup.

  • @chrisbeatty9280
    @chrisbeatty92804 жыл бұрын

    I was living in Northeast Texas at the time. I will never forget this day at all. I was laying in the bed, and then heard a loud boom that shook the whole house for about 30 seconds. I remember the boom was so loud that the earth was shaking, and the trees were blowing down to the ground like something was pushing them. Anybody living in that area at the time can still remember where they were when this happened. I thought the Lord had come back when I heard this noise.

  • @tonyk501

    @tonyk501

    Жыл бұрын

    Sonic booms?

  • @ricardospaniard9050

    @ricardospaniard9050

    Жыл бұрын

    I remember that sound too. I was living about 40 miles north of Dallas at the time. It sounded like a trash truck dropping a dumpster off the top of a parking garage. Woke me out of a sound sleep. I thought I imagined it and drifted back to sleep. Woke up later and it was all over the news. Never forgot that sound.

  • @ttispoetic9303

    @ttispoetic9303

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes the shaking I will never forget that

  • @renegadeoffunk32
    @renegadeoffunk324 жыл бұрын

    I can still remember being 14yo in school in the UK and coming into my boarding house after lunch to watch the landing on the news and turning the TV on to see those images. Heartbreaking.

  • @slickburrito
    @slickburrito2 жыл бұрын

    "It looks like you can see pieces of the Shuttle coming off--we can confirm that the Shuttle is...behind schedule" Hearing those words brings tears to my eyes. You can tell that they knew the crew was killed, but the hope and humanity in them wouldn't let them accept it. I was just a kid but I vividly remember tuning in on that Saturday morning and watching this unfold.

  • @allanbrogdon7453
    @allanbrogdon74535 жыл бұрын

    My father called from Grapevine my hometown and told me he was watching the shuttle break up from his yard.

  • @chelo4197

    @chelo4197

    3 жыл бұрын

    So, you heard it through the grapevine?

  • @terrythomas1329
    @terrythomas1329 Жыл бұрын

    For a first breaking coverage story, you did an excellent job. Hope you are all going strong!

  • @rey_nemaattori
    @rey_nemaattori Жыл бұрын

    I cried when I heard this news. Being absolutely infatuated with space and space travel, as soon as I saw pieces coming apart, I knew it would be a death sentence with the speeds involved. Rest in Piece crew, your sacrifice will never be forgotten .0>

  • @internetabyss
    @internetabyss5 жыл бұрын

    I saw it go above me, thought it was a meteor shower or something, turned out to be the shuttle.

  • @meyakabrown4725

    @meyakabrown4725

    5 жыл бұрын

    😢

  • @user-ps7pu9pr2x

    @user-ps7pu9pr2x

    5 жыл бұрын

    That is sad😭

  • @JerryAsbury1985

    @JerryAsbury1985

    4 жыл бұрын

    Very heartbreaking.

  • @dllmpb06

    @dllmpb06

    3 жыл бұрын

    I was on the shuttle debris recovery team and unfortunately located a body part inside a helmet. I won't say how badly I was haunted by such a site .

  • @BLACKAAROW

    @BLACKAAROW

    3 жыл бұрын

    How much of the bodies and shuttle did they ever recover ?

  • @kj12351
    @kj123514 жыл бұрын

    Hope they did not feel a thing. I salut you brave astronauts! To give your life to what you love demands respect. You may be gone but you're not forgotten. May you rest in peace.

  • @mathematician237

    @mathematician237

    2 жыл бұрын

    Apparently the 3 on the upper deck were conscious for about 41 seconds after pressure loss

  • @mrandersen6872

    @mrandersen6872

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@mathematician237 how could you know this?

  • @russellhamner4898

    @russellhamner4898

    2 жыл бұрын

    Some people call them SPACE COWBOYS, but I prefer to think of them as gangsters of love.

  • @itunesjoe

    @itunesjoe

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@mrandersen6872 sorry this is late nasa had lots data all over the shuttle and the crew

  • @chad735

    @chad735

    Жыл бұрын

    Some were conscious for a bit

  • @kevinm2365
    @kevinm23654 жыл бұрын

    Rest In Peace to those who lost their lives and my condolences to their families

  • @TomHill-xh7ec
    @TomHill-xh7ec Жыл бұрын

    Amazing to hear the difference in news coverage from 2003. Deliberately saying that they're not drawing conclusions, simply describing what they're seeing, then filling in details as they come in.

  • @kerrywillis9098

    @kerrywillis9098

    Жыл бұрын

    Right??!! What has happened in journalism over the last 20 years is astounding!!

  • @utley
    @utley4 жыл бұрын

    I remember this day very well. I had just got back home from military service and had been out almost 6 months or so and had moved back to Ft Worth. They kept finding bits and pieces of the shuttle all over north texas, especially around Plano.

  • @strangementalitypaperYT
    @strangementalitypaperYT2 жыл бұрын

    I saw this happen all those years ago. I *vividly* recall it it broke into chunks and remember thinking it was so cool to look at. I didn't know anything was wrong when it was happening. It's so disturbing to look back at that moment and realize I witnessed seven people die when I was ten.

  • @Tahkaullus01

    @Tahkaullus01

    Жыл бұрын

    What's more disturbing is that, one day, Hollywood will make a film about it purely for the spectacle and forgetting that nothing about what happened that day was anything to be excited about.

  • @donpowlen
    @donpowlen4 жыл бұрын

    I remember watching this on tv. CNN wasn’t reporting this yet but WFAA was. I remember the sonic booms in the sky. Very surreal...

  • @paulsonj72

    @paulsonj72

    Жыл бұрын

    Once CNN got on the air their coverage was outstanding. What helped CNN was the there space expert Miles O’Brien was already on the air that morning anchoring so they didn’t have a relatively uneducated(in space flight) anchor on the air.

  • @ryanleclaire3948
    @ryanleclaire39482 жыл бұрын

    Remember watching this live when i was 11 with my mother. Quite haunting when i think about it. Journalism and media seemed so pure and right, even then. Pure, patient, waiting for the truth.

  • @micmac99
    @micmac995 жыл бұрын

    I lived in Dallas at this time and watched this very coverage live. I believe these anchors had only a little while earlier finished anchoring the regularly scheduled morning news program, and went right back on the air. Also listened to the coverage on KRLD Radio. Very sad day.

  • @KalmanBorbely
    @KalmanBorbely5 жыл бұрын

    "If we die we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life. Our God-given curiosity will force us to go there ourselves because in the final analysis, only man can fully evaluate the moon in terms understandable to other men" Gus Grissom

  • @wolf2468

    @wolf2468

    5 жыл бұрын

    Except this was pretty preventable. The orbiter they used wasn't supposed to be in flight this many times, and the foam insulator that broke off was out of bounds with the models the engineers prepared to measure the amount of damage it would cause to the heat shielding. While it was in orbit, they had a powerpoint delivered to management that said flight conditions was out of bounds for their model and unfortunately, probably only people who were literate in technicalities would understand that it had turned into a life threatening situation, i.e. management probably didn't understand it was a life threatening situation, and the engineers didn't convey it well enough. The only reason the orbiter was pushed this many times to flight was because the satellite was behind deadline and it needed to be finished. What's more, after 1989 when they completed the investigation for the failed Challenger mission, they released a statement that said, the chances of a space shuttle accident would be 50/50 within 34 flights. It just so happens Columbia was the 34th flight. They just didn't realize that it was too late until after they saw the foam debris fly off, calculate probabilities, and watched it disintegrate upon re-entry.

  • @hugorewucki8386

    @hugorewucki8386

    4 жыл бұрын

    wolf2468 this was the the 28th flight of Columbia and the 112th space shuttle mission, the orbiters had a lifespan of 100 flights

  • @JRobbySh

    @JRobbySh

    4 жыл бұрын

    RIP.

  • @jamesgentry13

    @jamesgentry13

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@hugorewucki8386 id say the shuttles have had a very successful and safe track record considering how launch and re entery are the 2 worst parts

  • @gunner2gunner
    @gunner2gunner4 жыл бұрын

    I saw Columbia first lunch in Florida on April 12, 1981. I was at White Sands New Mexico when she landed there on March 30, 1982. I remember thinking how cool it was to be the daughter of a Air Force Colonel. Then to come full circle, to be living in Texas seeing Columbia break apart on February 1, 2003 was heartbreaking for me. I had hoped in seeing Columbia streak across the Texas blue sky would bring a little joy to my day. It would of been my husband and I’s 8th wedding anniversary, but he passed away in August of 2000. Now I can’t think of my wedding anniversary without thinking of Columbia and her Crew of 7 and their families.

  • @felicia3513
    @felicia35135 жыл бұрын

    I remember watching this.... so sad. On the 50th anniversary of the famous moonwalk by Neil Armstrong and his crew...all I can think of is this tragic day.

  • @Visitor2Earth
    @Visitor2Earth5 жыл бұрын

    I was part of an R & D team for electronics in the CCMS program for the shuttle in 1980-81, Both the Challenger and the Columbia disasters hit me hard.

  • @sphinxrising1129

    @sphinxrising1129

    5 жыл бұрын

    Sure you was😑

  • @escapologistmagical5398

    @escapologistmagical5398

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@frankovich213 love your comment. .😂😂😂

  • @jamesgentry13

    @jamesgentry13

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@TheAnarchySniper you failed big time

  • @johnt3606

    @johnt3606

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheAnarchySniper The person who posted is probably the grandpa.

  • @BevanJovan
    @BevanJovan4 жыл бұрын

    6:21 Al Pacino makes a surprise guest appearance.

  • @360zm4

    @360zm4

    3 жыл бұрын

    Guest appearance? No, he was just an extra in this particular show. I guess.

  • @Xciss0rs
    @Xciss0rs Жыл бұрын

    I just found out about this horrible event from my mother who said on the day I was born a shuttle blew up and so I did a little research that lead me here. My heart goes out to the fallen heroes that lost their lives.. I can not imagine what it was like in that space shuttle in those last moments, may they rest in peace ❤

  • @artchic528
    @artchic5285 жыл бұрын

    I remember that day. Nearly every channel covered this. At first I didn't understand at first seeing the pictures and footage, but I soon realized the gravity of the situation. I then said a small prayer to the astronauts and their families to bring them peace in such a hard time. I knew astronauts risk their lives the moment they strap themselves into the ship, preparing to take off, or land. I knew that they and their families knew the risk, but still, these brave astronauts are heroes and will be remembered always for their ultimate sacrifice. They now are forever orbiting the earth, and I'd like to think they are somehow protecting the current astronauts in some way shape or form and making sure these men and women get the chance they never got to go home.

  • @brad9956
    @brad99565 жыл бұрын

    Almost 16 years ago. Sixteen. They also mentioned Challenger. THIRTY THREE YEARS AGO next month. Time does indeed fly - I remember both like they happened yesterday....

  • @DCD4Ever

    @DCD4Ever

    5 жыл бұрын

    And days apart too! 😲👆 Challenger - January 28, 1986 (on this day). Columbia - February 1, 2003.

  • @markg999

    @markg999

    5 жыл бұрын

    I'm 40 and remember both days very well.

  • @dchang11
    @dchang115 жыл бұрын

    I remember that morning. It was a rainy day in suburban Philadelphia. We were at Radnor High School preparing for the Chinese New Year festivities. My father took me to McDonalds during our lunch break. We were passing by Villanova University when KYW informed us about the tragedy. I didn't understand what was happening and my father said the shuttle Columbia exploded.

  • @TheGreatBigMove
    @TheGreatBigMove4 жыл бұрын

    I appreciate how professional this news anchor sounds (at least at the beginning of this video). Stark contrast with the hysteria we often see from the media in 2019.

  • @honkhonk8009

    @honkhonk8009

    4 жыл бұрын

    True. Fox and Cnn are national disgraces.

  • @rachelgibson1858
    @rachelgibson18584 жыл бұрын

    "Damage to those heat tiles. Believed to be minor...." Boy was NASA wrong.

  • @courtneywright2549

    @courtneywright2549

    4 жыл бұрын

    NASA was just saving their own butts. They knew that shuttle wouldn’t make it back.

  • @terrybardy2848

    @terrybardy2848

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yes, at it cost the astronauts their lives.

  • @kyokogodai-ir6hy

    @kyokogodai-ir6hy

    4 жыл бұрын

    Just read the other day that NASA knew the shuttle was doomed, but didn't want the astronauts to know. Reason being it was better for them to die during re-entry, that to suffer in orbit dying of asphyxiation.

  • @ksiyaskid

    @ksiyaskid

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@kyokogodai-ir6hy was there really nothing they can do, though?

  • @Steelburgh

    @Steelburgh

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@ksiyaskid The followup investigation showed that Atlantis could've been used for a rescue mission. It was nearly launch ready at the time.

  • @totalchaos5566
    @totalchaos55663 жыл бұрын

    the last minutes of their lives in the footage from inside the shuttle was haunting.

  • @Kaynos
    @Kaynos5 жыл бұрын

    Stuff like that or 9/11 you remember what you were doing at that time. I was 31 in 2003.

  • @blockaderunner

    @blockaderunner

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was struggling in my 20s due to the dotcom bubble, so poor and didn't even know who I was. I didn't really even know this had happened heh was out of it.

  • @alamkhan97khan66

    @alamkhan97khan66

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was 16 years at that. I was watching tv. But i could not get it properly whats really going on. Now i am 31 too. Now i know each and evrything. I can differentiate b/w good and bad Bro..

  • @glowupgirl1693

    @glowupgirl1693

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was 11 in the 6th grade.. on my way to Music elective and could sense that a lot of the teachers were distraught about something. When I got to class, my music teacher asked did we know what was going on? When we said no, her response was "We're going to war. If you have family members in the military, they are about to go to war." My brother was an active duty Marine at the time. It was a bone chilling feeling.

  • @armyofaceas

    @armyofaceas

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was 12 days out from being deployed to Kuwait in support of OIF. I remember well.

  • @bryttafitzgibbons6901

    @bryttafitzgibbons6901

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@blockaderunner I was 19 at the time and memories of 9/11 came back to me.

  • @glamourchick21
    @glamourchick212 жыл бұрын

    I was a teenager when this happened, a junior or senior in high school. This is one of those weird incidents that tests my confidence in the accuracy of my memories. When I think back to hearing about the incident, I picture a classroom and these images on a television-except that the classroom I always pictured was a classroom at my middle school. Not only did I graduate middle school in 2000, but my middle school did not have TVs in the classrooms, unlike my high school. Not to mention that I looked it up, and this all took place on a Saturday, when I wouldn’t have been at school anyway. Honestly, I just looked up this footage to try to jog a few genuine memories.

  • @electronicguy420

    @electronicguy420

    Жыл бұрын

    I was dead when this happened😭

  • @JulieR73
    @JulieR735 жыл бұрын

    I remember hearing it when it happened. It was so loud!

  • @_Lindsey_Beth_
    @_Lindsey_Beth_4 жыл бұрын

    These reporters handled this very well, a horrible thing to witness. I remember where I was and how I reacted when this news broke, a very sad day.

  • @TheStranger513
    @TheStranger5135 жыл бұрын

    It's so strange but this is like a forgotten memory to me until I watch the video and see 2003.

  • @tammimccormick7300
    @tammimccormick73003 жыл бұрын

    I remember that morning i heard a huge sonic boom . But I didn’t r even know it was coming back in . Then I heard what had happen . But I remember the boom was so loud 😞

  • @johnharrington6122
    @johnharrington61224 жыл бұрын

    Columbia flew over my Home in Albuquerque’ s N. Valley that morning ! So sad! John

  • @katiefogler-fl6nz
    @katiefogler-fl6nz Жыл бұрын

    I was 8 years old sitting at a local diner with my mother and my uncle when this happened on live news. I remember feeling absolutely devastated because several months earlier my mother and I had made a trip to NASA while making our yearly summer trip to visit family on Merritt Island. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of these brave astronauts for a brief moment. I was too young to remember the details of how or why we were able to. They were at a distance, but waved and smiled to us as they carried on. Throughout the broadcast, I kept saying, “Well, we learned they have ways to rescue themselves…so they’ll be okay.” And my uncle looked at me and said, “Katie, that shuttle is in too many pieces to have any survivors left.” I was glued to the tv all day hoping for any shred of evidence they were alive. Around 7PM that day I heard as CNN announced a bystander finding piece of a helmet and ear in a median of a highway. I have never heard that mentioned or confirmed since. But it was sure seared into my memory.

  • @enidrhee-grimes7621
    @enidrhee-grimes76215 жыл бұрын

    I was 11 when this happened. I think this happened on a Saturday, because I remember getting out of a basketball game and hearing this on the radio.

  • @Yeager123123

    @Yeager123123

    5 жыл бұрын

    Enid Rhee-Grimes Same. It was a weekend. I woke up and saw the video playing of it breaking up.

  • @hurkydoesntknow

    @hurkydoesntknow

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@Yeager123123 I remember it being a Saturday. I had no school that day and remember doing what I normally did on Saturdays.

  • @davidca96

    @davidca96

    5 жыл бұрын

    I was 8 when Challenger exploded, it made me incredibly sad especially because a teacher was onboard. We were excited to see her lesson from space, but never got to.. Colombia made all that come back vividly.

  • @hurkydoesntknow

    @hurkydoesntknow

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@davidca96 I wasn't born yet when the Challenger exploded but I can't imagine the heartbreak you all felt when you witnessed the explosion.

  • @JimDrews

    @JimDrews

    5 жыл бұрын

    O

  • @DevontaTravis
    @DevontaTravis5 жыл бұрын

    Man I remember watching this and this has always stuck with me cause it was so odd to see at the age of 8.

  • @TXBHenleyFan
    @TXBHenleyFan3 жыл бұрын

    WFAA have always been very professional in their coverage!

  • @TigerWoodsDUIcrash
    @TigerWoodsDUIcrash5 жыл бұрын

    I remember this day perfectly. My dad tries to mask this sadness and loss of hope by trying to keep our family busy like going out to eat and to putt put golf, etc.... Space is our last frontier to conquer. And seeing this happens just blimishes those hopes. Hope to see it happen in my lifetime.

  • @moneymitch6790

    @moneymitch6790

    9 ай бұрын

    80% ocean still a mystery

  • @gregoryleggett9773
    @gregoryleggett97734 жыл бұрын

    This is excellent reporting.

  • @juliamihajlovich
    @juliamihajlovich3 жыл бұрын

    Can you imagine watching this as a family member of one of the Astronauts? 💔

  • @johnny1963ify

    @johnny1963ify

    2 жыл бұрын

    Nope.

  • @ClydeXactive

    @ClydeXactive

    2 жыл бұрын

    Literally heart 💔😭 in front of you . so sad even all the years later

  • @jacoballen3267
    @jacoballen32675 жыл бұрын

    I was at Parris Island going through boot camp for the Marines on this day. I was completely oblivious to this, because we only received letters in the mail as correspondence. No television or radio, so I didn’t know what was going on until our base chaplain mentioned it at the next Sunday service. I didn’t know what he was talking about until I asked a Navy doctor when I went in for a dental appointment, and the utter shock hit me. After seeing two launches at KSC before going to boot, I was VERY impressed and in awe of the shuttle and rocketry in general. Never forgot how I felt when I was told of this devastating news

  • @safe-keeper1042
    @safe-keeper10422 жыл бұрын

    Norwegian here, lived in Houston for three years from '01 to '04. What I remember best about this tragedy is that the following day at school, no one talked about it. Which surprised me at the time, but most of us told me just how hard it hit everyone.

  • @jeremybr2020
    @jeremybr20204 жыл бұрын

    I still remember this day rather vividly. I live and worked (at the time) in the DFW area as a medic for the ambulance service in Fort Worth. And while on duty it came over the radio about Columbia breaking apart. And when I looked up I could clearly see the smoke trails going right across the sky. It was a very eerie and rather depressing moment. I do find it fascinating the difference between the shots of the mission control room with everyone being so calm and non-chaotic, compared to how it would be shown in a Hollywood movie with there being borderline pandemonium.

  • @nopcshere6097

    @nopcshere6097

    3 жыл бұрын

    Like you, I was working for an ambulance service, in Surrey, B.C., Canada, on that day. I came into work at 6 am and these images were on the TV. It was all anyone was watching that day.

  • @leecowell8165

    @leecowell8165

    2 жыл бұрын

    Well its not smoke but plasma but point taken. pretty scary sight I would Imagine.

  • @jeremybr2020

    @jeremybr2020

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@leecowell8165 Plasma? It's a burning aircraft falling from the sky. What do you mean by plasma? I just looked up the definition of plasma and I don't see any part of it that suggests that it takes on a form that resembles a smoke trail. So perhaps you can clarify your comment. I'm not outright calling you wrong. But I'm failing to see how what your suggesting is factual.

  • @lepperkin

    @lepperkin

    Жыл бұрын

    @@leecowell8165 The plasma is the extremely hot part around the spacecraft. The trails are smoke or dust or whatever.

  • @gmnavarra
    @gmnavarra Жыл бұрын

    I was in 5th grade and grew up about 45 minutes from Cape Canaveral, so I had seen just every shuttle launch from my front yard and heard nearly every sonic boom upon the shuttle’s return. I don’t remember exactly what I was doing that morning but I remember going somewhere with my dad and when we came back home we turned the TV on and learned about what happened. Still very heartbreaking even 20 years later.

  • @NoriMori1992
    @NoriMori19929 ай бұрын

    Very good commentary by the news anchors. Informative, clear, not rushed.

  • @U2_Psalm_40
    @U2_Psalm_405 жыл бұрын

    Saw the Challenger explosion live and the Columbia destruction live...plain tragic.

  • @jshepard152

    @jshepard152

    4 жыл бұрын

    Now that the shuttle is retired maybe you've seen your last astronaut crew killed.

  • @thetoad8253

    @thetoad8253

    4 жыл бұрын

    J Shepard well, there is destined to be more astronauts killed in the future, it’s inevitable.

  • @courtneywalter9681
    @courtneywalter96813 жыл бұрын

    Who's here after seeing Netflix's Challenger doc? 🙋🏾‍♂️

  • @thatonegir3138

    @thatonegir3138

    3 жыл бұрын

    Me I liked it but very sad

  • @nataliebundy7415

    @nataliebundy7415

    3 жыл бұрын

    I am

  • @marcussheen

    @marcussheen

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yep. I remember seeing this one live. I never normally watched shuttle launches/landings, but for some reason watched this and as soon as I saw one line become several I knew something had gone terribly wrong. I hope Netflix do a documentary about this too.

  • @christinaknauss4390

    @christinaknauss4390

    3 жыл бұрын

    Just watched the Challenger doc today.

  • @wickandrews8320

    @wickandrews8320

    3 жыл бұрын

    Courtney Walter Lol definitely me! I followed this as a kid though.

  • @glorysun84
    @glorysun84 Жыл бұрын

    I was a senior in high school when we lost space shuttle Columbia. I still remember hearing what sounded like a car back firing not realizing it was the shuttle breaking apart overhead.

  • @LinYouToo
    @LinYouToo2 жыл бұрын

    I remember this like it was yesterday. I had gone out for an early breakfast and when I jumped in my car and put the radio on it was just breaking on the news that there was potential trouble with the space shuttle. I couldn’t believe it and still can’t to this day. May they all rest in peace.

  • @GetFitReedman
    @GetFitReedman Жыл бұрын

    Those poor souls. The terror that they experienced must have been horrible. RIP

  • @playerslayer91
    @playerslayer915 жыл бұрын

    I was in 5th grade. I live in florida. 5th grade was when we would learn about space travel, and we went on a 2 day field trip to the Kennedy Space center and got to sleep under the Saturn 5 rocket. I remember this disaster vividly.

  • @katej23
    @katej23 Жыл бұрын

    I remember being at church in Australia that morning. I was a teenager and never got up too early so I hadn’t heard any news, and during the morning service our minister asked us all to pray for the families of the Columbia victims. I started crying right there as I hadn’t heard about the failure.

  • @xLSU0408x
    @xLSU0408x4 жыл бұрын

    I was on my way to Odessa, TX (from Shreveport, LA) and right around Fort Worth when my coworker pointed out what looked like something green and glowing coming down through the sky. Didn't know what it was until I saw the news later that evening.

  • @195511SM
    @195511SM5 жыл бұрын

    Still in the process of moving, I woke up in a sleeping bag, on the floor of my new apartment......& this was playing out on the television. Living in northern CA at the time.....a year or two earlier, I got a rare opportunity to see another shuttle come home. Maybe due to weather conditions or something else.....it was going to come in over the bay area on it's way to landing in Florida. I think it was originally supposed to land in southern CA? I had just arrived home from work at around 3:30 am......and it was scheduled to pass overhead at 3:45. I waited around in the carport.....not sure what to expect. All of a sudden.....here it came.....looking like the lit orange tip of a burning cigarette......a long rope-like plasma trail hanging behind it. The trail never expanded outward like a vapor or contrail would. It just hung in the sky like a rope. Once the shuttle disappeared over the eastern horizon....I ran upstairs 7 no sooner had I turned on the television.....then the thing was already on it's final approach to landing .

  • @paulgrimm7842
    @paulgrimm78425 жыл бұрын

    I saw this Saturday morning from Houston. It looked like diamonds with a Hugh plume behind it

  • @knobdikker
    @knobdikker2 жыл бұрын

    I was out of work sick that day and watched this as it happened on WFAA.

  • @changingslow
    @changingslow5 жыл бұрын

    It’s so weird that me being in Texas and never knowing that when I’m ever by fair park right above 7 people died

  • @sammmm87

    @sammmm87

    3 жыл бұрын

    So weird bro. Don't ever visit 9/11 ground zero your brain might melt

  • @timothyfidler2088
    @timothyfidler20885 жыл бұрын

    I remember where I was when I heard of this - it was a Sunday am in Sth Australia. I was in at work at perhaps 10 am as I was working on a Gas pipeline project (350 odd km I recall) and we were having a bit of push on to get project designs out. David Dalidovich was also in there at KBR - a talented graduate engineer - and he told me the Shuttle had disintegrated so I went either to the radio or online and I heard the grim news. It was a bright sunlight beautiful cloudless day in Sth Oz - and it was so sad. (Initially I thought he was joking). What is interesting is that towards the end of this sequence, the TV jocks hit on what was in fact the cause of the tragedy - the ice laden foam braking off and hitting the wing during ascent. It has subsequently been revealed that the early shuttles had a risk of failure causing death of about one in 9 and the later shuttle flights , post Challenger, of about one in thirty. They were very complex machines and for instance if one solid rocket booster lit but the other did not the resulting take off was unsurvivable and unstoppable. The same applied to severe damage to the heat shield tiles.

  • @XcuddleXbearX11
    @XcuddleXbearX115 жыл бұрын

    Parts of the pieces feel near where I used to live...at the time I lived in Corsicana, TX and our whole house shooked as if an earthquake was about to happen but was later told that it was the Space Shuttle Colombia's pieces that fell.

  • @mr.underhill2792
    @mr.underhill27924 жыл бұрын

    This video is still heartbreaking

  • @TheChapelx
    @TheChapelx Жыл бұрын

    I remember watching this unfold live. Can't believe it's been 20 years already

  • @karenmatteson82
    @karenmatteson825 жыл бұрын

    I remember watching this tragic event on the news , May they rest in peace.

  • @freddi4901
    @freddi49014 жыл бұрын

    It’s so sad that we are looking at a little plane going super fast filled with people who know they are dead and people on the ground knowing they can’t do anything

  • @whydidmyhandlechangefromAlice
    @whydidmyhandlechangefromAlice3 жыл бұрын

    I was working at Sears when this happened and had just arrived for work - it was playing on all the display TVs. Somehow the tragedy seemed to be magnified by the number TVs.

  • @drnocka-rocksteady
    @drnocka-rocksteady4 жыл бұрын

    I still pass by a piece of the shuttle today. It's right off I 45 in Corsicana TX. Its actually a couple peices.