When shuttles come into the atmosphere they are going 5 miles a SECOND. Thats Mach 18! I agree that the use of old equipment is what caused the accident. No matter how well the shuttles were made or how much maintenance they go through, even a space shuttle has its limits when put under such forces so many times. I hope this causes more money to be invested into the space program rather than less, or tragedies like this will happen again.
It is a sad day.
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