[meteorite-list] List member witnesses Columbia re-entry

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:24 2004
Message-ID: <20030201164226.52914.qmail_at_web80310.mail.yahoo.com>

I got the phone call early this morning, from Rob
Matson, giving me the horrible news. According to
Rob, he was driving north on US15 in the Victorville
area of the Mojave Desert when he observed the Space
Shuttle Columbia early in its re-entry. Rob reported
that "all appeared normal at this point in Columbia's
fight path". The early morning sunlight was
reflecting off of "the plasma cloud that the Space
Shuttle normally forms during its decent".

Rob did not see anything abnormal occurring during the
portion of the decent that he witnessed, and had no
indication of the disaster that was to occur over
Texas until he heard on the radio that the Space
Shuttle was "still late for its arrival at the Cape"!

Given the time of morning, Rob was one of the last few
people who saw Columbia still in one piece before its
tragic break-up and disintegration over Texas.

(Please note that I didn't use the term "explosion",
since it would be inaccurate and misleading.)

Regretfully,
Bob V.





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Received on Sat 01 Feb 2003 11:42:26 AM PST