Hi Sean,

> I haven't seen any mention of them being able to escape this time(I
> think
> they pretty well know by now that they are all dead)

No. Me either. Tal mentioned that there were reports. Perhaps some
wishful thinking in the Israeli media.

> but the shuttle does
> have an escape system. I think the cockpit is in a separable capsule
> that
> can be ejected, similar to what they do in other aircraft that fly for
> long
> periods at supersonic speeds (F-111 for example).

Interesting. I was not aware of this. One capsule for the entire crew?

> The problem is, of
> course, that you do need some warning in order to pull the "eject"
> lever.

Yes. Well there was not a single word it seems.

> It does strike me as odd that this kind of failure would happen in this
> stage of flight: 200k feet altitude simply gliding in.

AFAIK, they are still dusting off a lot of speed in this stage of the
flight aren't they? Some fairly heavy banking is required in order to
slow her down.

> Even though they are
> dismissing it, it does bring up thoughts of sabotage.

Oh, don't say that, please. How could this be achieved? Surely there
must be so many checks and balances - you would think it near
impossible! I surely hope not.

> I,too, hope it does not affect the program (except, perhaps, to make it
> safer, although it is very safe considering what they are doing). I'm
> praying for the crew and their families.

Yes. Well I have already presented my thoughts on NASA's flight safety
record. You only have to consider the amount of computing power they
had on board the Apollo missions. How they managed that program with
that era's technology is truly impressive.

Just "officially" announced the shuttle as "gone" - merely a formality,
I think. I don't think there has been much doubt for the past couple of
hours has there? :-(

Regards,

Sean

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