Satellite Photos of Space Shuttle Explosion - Analysis
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"There is some speculation here at the NASA Johnson Space Center that those images have been taken from the movie Armageddon," my NASA informant wrote. Which is precisely where they did come from, in the form of individual frames of a computer-animated sequence about four minutes into the 1998 science fiction film in which a space shuttle collides with fragments of a comet and explodes (see video).
It's stunning to realize that even after being bombarded for weeks on end with real-life news footage of the Space Shuttle Columbia's fiery disintegration on February 1, 2003, anyone could mistake what happens in these CGI images for the same event — but such is evidently the case, this being one of the most widely forwarded emails of the past month.
Even if we hadn't been able to so easily establish their fictitious origin, Rob Rosenberger of Vmyths.com argues, the "photos" themselves are inherently incredible. "First," he writes, "they suggest we (or the Israelis) keep a satellite in extraordinarily low orbit, close enough to the shuttle to take high-res pictures of its reentry. We know this because the pictures show the shuttle in a head-on view, slightly from below, rather than from above. Remember, things burn up on reentry, and that's not a good place to put an orbiting satellite.
"Second, it suggests the NRO (National Reconnaisance Office) released photos in extraordinary wide-angle, 'movie-quality' detail, thereby giving our enemies a clue as to our best resolution. The Hubble telescope can't possibly take such a wide-angle shot, for example. The existence of a wide-angle, movie-quality camera in orbit would shock the world.
"Third, the configuration of the blast in later pictures suggests the shuttle carries fuel in areas not previously known to carry fuel. A typical Hollywood cliché - when a fuel tank blows up, the entire vehicle blows up in unison, in place."
As usual, we're left guessing as to the motivation of the anonymous prankster who launched the hoax.
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Sources and further reading:
Columbia Destroyed During Re-Entry, Crew Lost
Space.com, 1 Feb 2003Eyewitness Accounts of Shuttle Tragedy
BBC News, 1 Feb 2003
Last updated: 03/25/03
