To: Raymond Duray who wrote (25184 ) 7/10/2003 1:59:22 PM From: Jorj X Mckie Read Replies (1) | Respond to The 757 was seen heading down from Washington past the bridges over the river. No one has claimed to witness the remarkable turn the plane would have had to execute in order to satisfy the both the eye witness accounts and the location that was struck on the building The best speculation I've seen is that the plane continued at low altitude out to the Bay, while a second craft impacted the Pentagon and completely stole everyone's attention. The classic magician's distraction trick. Wrong kimosabe. I concluded the very first press conference that Ron Dittemore gave that he was blowing smoke about the need for an investigation. He was fully engaged in an unsuccessful CYA effort. The fact of the matter is that they launched in weather that was too cold. (Where have we heard this before?) What struck the leading edge of the shuttle wasn't just foam. It was foam and ice from the condensation that was occurring after the LOX had been loaded on the booster. The foam was aged, the glue holding it on weak and with the stress of the cold weather and the ice buildup, the catastrophe would seem to have been predictable. Again, the necessity of meeting a schedule created a disaster that wouldn't have occurred in July or August.
