Doubtful that it was terrorism, unless an inside job where someone used incredibly advanced technology that could withstand space, as well as be remotely detonated from miles away.
However, there were some issues, I've discovered, that had the mission planners a bit concerned:
space.com
One concern discussed Thursday involved the fragile heat protection tiles that cover much of the shuttle's surface and protects the vehicle and crew from the high temperatures created during re-entry.
Video of the Jan. 16 launch from Florida shows what is likely a piece of insulating foam falling away from Columbia's external tank and striking the spaceplane's left wing near its leading edge, possibly damaging some tiles.
Cain said engineers have studied the situation and are not worried.
"We took a very thorough look at the situation with the tile on the left wing and we have no concerns, whatsoever," Cain said. "Therefore we haven't changed anything with respect to our trajectory design."
Saturday's landing preparations will begin at 4:18 a.m. EST (0918 GMT) as the crew begins working through their de-orbit checklist. That will be followed by closing Columbia's payload bay doors at 5:35 a.m. EST (1035 GMT).
If all continues to go well and the weather cooperates, Cain will tell STS-107 commander Rick Husband to bring everybody home and fire the shuttle's braking rockets at 8:15 a.m. EST.
That will set up an hour-long, hypersonic dive through Earth's atmosphere, leading to a touchdown on runway 33 at KSC.
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There is obviously any number of causalities that could be responsible.
But I think that video tape is going to be re-scrutinized since the loss of a tile on the wing could lead to just the situation that we've seen...
Going to take years, if even then, to figure this out, IMO.
Columbia WAS also the oldest Shuttle in the fleet, circa 1981.
Hawk |
