Shuttle: Return to Flight Reactions

> ABC’s Charlie Gibson, signing off: “Everyone can sigh a big sigh of relief.” The network closed with a memoriam of the Columbia 7…

> Bob Schieffer‘s reaction to the external fuel tank camera was simple: “Wow.” I agree. “It doesn’t look like they’re moving at 5 miles per second, but they are,” the analyst added…

> ABC’s Virtual View — with a simulated control panel of speed, altitude, roll, pitch, and yaw, along with computer generated images of the flight — is very impressive. CBS had similar graphics on the bottom of the screen.

> NBC’s Brian Williams acted as the color commentator as NASA offered the play-by-play. As NASA explained that the shuttle would increase to 17,500 mph, Williams chimed in: “Because 5,000 miles an hour isn’t fast enough.”

> FNC’s Jon Scott at 10:45am: “Wow, that’s about all you can say. I think this nation’s heart was in its throat. They’re not out of the woods by any means but they have passed that critical moment…”

> “It was very cool,” FNC’s Rick Leventhal said. “The press corps is a tough crowd to impress…but I heard a lot of cheers, a lot of gasps, and a big round of applause of Discovery took off.”

> MSNBC’s Chris Jansing: “You hear this amazing sound that turns into, almost like firecrackers, but so loud…The ground shook, the riser shook…”

> CNN rushed into a commercial break at 10:51am. CBS signed off at 10:53am. NBC and ABC signed off at 10:58am.

> Here’s the problem with putting Charlie Gibson in front of a video screen in New York: The shuttle took off at 10:39am, but at 10:57am, it was still stuck on the tarmac behind Gibson…