The space shuttle Columbia lifts off Thursday morning

WASHINGTON, February 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. President George W. Bush Saturday, February 1, put his White House in crisis mode after the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia, consulting top aides even as officials said there were no signs terrorism was to blame.

NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said Saturday that the loss of the Columbia space shuttle with seven astronauts aboard is a "tragic day" for the United States, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

O'Keefe told a briefing that the mishap was "a tragic day for the NASA family, for the families of the astronauts who flew on STS-107."

Earlier, NASA dispatched search crews to Texas after Columbia disappeared from the U.S. space agency's monitors with seven astronauts on board, minutes before its scheduled landing at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

NASA also issued a warning to Texas residents not to touch possible debris from the Space Shuttle, saying that the debris is highly toxic due to the propellants used on the spacecraft, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

NASA announced that there is no possibility that the U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia could have made a successful emergency landing from the high altitude at which it was travelling when it lost contact with NASA.

No Sign of Terrorism

Putting the White House in crisis mode, Bush consulted top aides even as officials said there were no signs terrorism was to blame.

"There is no reason to believe this is linked to terrorism. But I want to emphasize: We are fully investigating," an administration official told reporters at the White House on condition of anonymity.

Television images of the shuttle showed several white trails emanating from the spacecraft, suggesting that Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered the atmosphere 100 miles (160 kilometres) south of Dallas, Texas.

Angela Bell, a NASA spokeswoman said that the incident is apparently not linked to a terrorist act.

"It's not looking like there is any terrorism-related incident ... so far," she said adding that for the time being, the FBI was not involved in the investigation.

Earlier Saturday, NASA officials declared an emergency status after losing communication with Columbia, minutes before the spacecraft was due to land at Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 9:16 am (1416 GMT).

Columbia, which was transporting the first Israeli astronaut and six other crew members back to Earth after a 16-day mission, disappeared from NASA's screens at 9:00 am (1400 GMT) Saturday as it was passing over Dallas, Texas.

Images of the shuttle aired on CNN television show several white trails emanating from the shuttle, suggesting that the Columbia may have disintegrated as it re-entered the atmosphere, reported AFP.

Leo Enright, a space expert speaking to the BBC said that the shuttle was built in 1979 and was completely refurbished five years ago.

“Columbia was at an altitude of 200,700 feet over north-central Texas at 9 a.m., travelling at 12,500 mph when mission control lost contact and tracking data,” reported CNN adding that “reporters at the landing strip were ordered away, 7 minutes after the scheduled touchdown with still no sign of the shuttle.”

“In 42 years of human space flight, NASA has never lost a space crew during landing or the ride back to orbit. In 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift off,” said CNN.

Meanwhile, Indian space scientists Saturday expressed shock as NASA said it had lost communication with Columbia that was also carrying Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

"I am shocked. At this moment, I am at a loss for words. I hope everything is OK. Even at this moment I am hoping," said K. Kasturiranagan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

R. Narasimha, a member of India's Space Commission said: “Kalpana Chawla is the first Indian to be involved in such a tragedy. It is very sad. Looking at the pictures I think there is not much hope left. The shuttle has broken up into many parts and one can see multiple traces. One can see balls of fire and smoke as it moved down. There is no hope."

Explosion comes 17 years after Challenger

Crewmembers of the space shuttle Columbia

The shuttle was flying at 200,000 feet at the time, moving at 20,000 kilometers (12,500 miles) per hour - a speed at which the crew could not have ejected, according to NASA.

The Space Shuttle Columbia was commissioned in 1988 and was on its 28th mission.

Its disappearance comes 17 years after space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch on January 28, 1986.

The Challenger disaster occurred 74 seconds after takeoff at 1630 GMT from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as it carried six crew and one passenger-observer into space.
Debris rained into the ocean for an hour after the explosion, making the site of fallout - extending 50 kilometers (30 miles) to sea -- unsafe to search.

The long fallout also testified to the force of the explosion. By nightfall, no evidence had been found that the crew had survived.

Click here to read the text of the statement posted on NASA’s website following the loss of communication with the space shuttle Columbia.