On Sat, 1 Feb 2003, Eric Cordian wrote:
The look on your fellow astronauts' faces right before the grenade you are holding explodes -- PRICELESS
Please. If we're going to toss around conspiracy theories, let's make sure they are sane. I am having a hard time imagining a scenario in which it would benefit the Israeli cause to blow up their first astronaut in space. Perhaps if it could be made to appear as a terroristic act by the evil ragheads, maybe Israel would attempt a stunt like this, to further the American/Israeli "brothers in arms" mentality. But there appears to be no such scenario that is remotely plausible. The only theory that I find remotely worth pursuing is that the shuttle was bringing something back to earth that didn't want to come down. Tim seems to have thoughts about this -- how easily could a satellite be designed with a "self-destruct upon reentering Earth's atmosphere" device? The motivation would certainly be there. I can't see China perpetrating a "terrorist act" against the US at this point in time, but I could see China taking steps to prevent the successful theft of its military surveillance devices. This isn't to say that force majeure isn't the most likely culprit here. Space travel is inherently dangerous, and I'm honestly surprised that less than 2% of our shuttle flights have resulted in catastrophe. -MW-