Lower the flags.

NASA STATEMENT ON LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH COLUMBIA

A Space Shuttle contingency has been declared in Mission Control, Houston, as a result of the loss of communication with the Space Shuttle Columbia at approximately 9 a.m. EST Saturday as it descended toward a landing at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. It was scheduled to touchdown at 9:16 a.m. EST.

Communication and tracking of the shuttle was lost at 9 a.m. EST at an altitude of about 203,000 feet in the area above north central Texas. At the time communications were lost. The shuttle was traveling approximately 12,500 miles per hour (Mach 18). No communication and tracking information were received in Mission Control after that time.

Search and rescue teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth and in portions of East Texas have been alerted. Any debris that is located in the area that may be related to the Space Shuttle contingency should be avoided and may be hazardous as a result of toxic propellants used aboard the shuttle. The location of any possible debris should immediately be reported to local authorities.

Flight controllers in Mission Control have secured all information, notes and data pertinent to today's entry and landing by Space Shuttle Columbia and continue to methodically proceed through contingency plans.

News media covering the Space Shuttle should stay tuned to NASA Television, which is broadcast on AMC-2, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees West longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical and audio is monaural at 6.8 MHz. Reporters can also go to any NASA center newsroom to monitor the situation.

Not again. The time has come to spend the bloody money and build a 21st century SSTO system.

A tribute

The shock is really starting to sink in. kshandra let her morbid side out in her journal. but the song stuck in my head is a different one.

Keep the Dream Alive.

In Memory of:

Apollo 1
STS 71-L
STS 107

My favorite character!

on my favorite show!

( Which CSI am I? )

Some big news from a little sister

My younger-by-exactly-five-years sister Ann is engaged! She and her beau (a Raiders fan, but other than that socially acceptable will be getting married in about a year, and under pressure she will be inviting us to the wedding. :)

Annie was the black sheep of the family. She was the popular, good looking one who cared about fashion and popular culture.

In other family business, I was talking with my mom the other night, and mentioned my plan to go back to school if I get disability. She said "you know, I went back to school when I was 37 too." I broke. This was the final straw. I asked if I was ever, ever, going to do something that she hadn't done first. We're both middle kids. We were both troublesome in school. We're both independent and strong willed. And when I was growing up she knew practically to the week what my next act of rebellion was going to be.

*yawn* Go look at my swag from Gamescape (Munchkin and Munchkin 2: Unnatural Axe) then to bed.