A person could get superstitious about this time of year...

Jan. 27: Apollo I fire
Jan. 28: Challenger
Feb.  1: Columbia

But this shows problems happen at all times of the year.

This was posted in another forum I frequent and I'm re-posting it here. I don't know this person, but I know the story will be of interest to many. First, the intro someone else had for it:

The following is an email from a friend of mine who worked in the space program (and may be back now). She left to go to Africa in the Peace Corps and has ( Read more... )

In no particular order, a non-exhaustive list:

Cocoanut Grove fire
Triangle fire
Chicago, Peshtigo, etc.
Chelyabinsk (Mayak)
Three Mile Island
Chernobyl
Jamestown
Shuttle Challenger
Shuttle Columbia
Windscale
Bhopal
World Trade Center, Sept. 11
Oklahoma City
Minamata
Sultana
Titanic
Edmund Fitzgerald
Texas City ship explosion
Boston molasses ( Read more... )

Some folks, in letters to editors and other places, have asked why the destruction of Columbia was a big deal, pointing out other lives lost that did not get such coverage. There are a few reasons for this. One is that people are sadly accustomed to hearing of some things. An aircraft accident is somehow more newsworthy than a house fire, and a ( Read more... )

I slept in Saturday morning, getting up just before 8:00 AM CST, rather than the usual 6:30 AM. I was still somewhat sleep-groggy as I stood in the kitchen pondering breakfast. The phone rang. Caller ID told me by number that my folks were calling. This was unusual. My father asked if I'd been watching Columbia's descent and said that things went ( Read more... )