Space Shuttle's Left Wing May Be Damaged

nbc4.com ^ | 20070612 | NBC News space correspondent Jay Barbree

[XBob]

Space Shuttle's Left Wing May Be Damaged Meteorite, Space Junk May Have Struck Panels

POSTED: 5:13 pm EDT June 12, 2007 UPDATED: 7:00 pm EDT June 12, 2007 Email This Story | Print This Story Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts WASHINGTON -- A meteorite or space junk may have struck Space Shuttle Atlantis' left wing, according to NBC News space correspondent Jay Barbree.

NASA recorded a hit on reinforced carbon panels 7 and 8 on the left wing. The panels keep heat from re-entry from burning the spacecraft.

...

This is the same area where foam damaged Columbia's left wing and caused it to break up, killing its crew on Feb. 1, 2003.

[XBob]

Not Again, PLEEEEEEASE !!!!

[Dog]

Oh cripes

[P.O.E.]

Prayers up.

[NormsRevenge]

no report of how big a hit yet? any pics released yet?

[Baladas]

Pray for these astronauts...

[XBob]

PING DING A PING PING !!!!!

[Jet Jaguar]

Hope they can fix it. They can.

[Army Air Corps]

Hunh. I listened to NASA TV at work today and mission control only mentioned an EVA to batten down the folded bit of thermal blanket on one of the OMUs.

[HitmanLV]

F*%k!!!!!

[mad_as_he$$]

Space the final frontier.

[Recovering Hermit]

This is bad.

[fatima]

Prayers for the crew.

[operation clinton cleanup]

A senior NASA official told Barbree that they do not believe the strike did any damage, but will check the area to make sure.

Not Again, PLEEEEEEASE !!!!

[American Quilter]

Oh no. Please God, let them be safe.

[mnehrling]

Frack..

I’m glad they discovered it now.. Prayers for them in fixing and returning.

[HEY4QDEMS]

We need to stop putting people up there.

It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.

[beethovenfan]

May be a piece of Chinese space crap from their recent
“experiment”.

[steve86]

Both panels 7 AND 8! Does this mean something larger hit, or two smaller pieces, or just one impact which was recorded by sensors on both panels?

[COBOL2Java]

May be a piece of Chinese space crap from their recent “experiment”.

Hmmm. Probably can't prove it, but would not surprise me.

[andrew1957]

Praying right now...

[Army Air Corps]

People said the same things about the earliest Atlantic crossings.

[TheConservator]

Of course its the traitorous LEFT wing.

[Dead Dog]

And those people are fighting for the chance to go...every time.

[dinoparty]

The difference is ... they were looking for something worthwhile...

[oldleft]

I completely disagree. It’s human nature to explore.

However, it’s stupid to go about it half ass. We should get the crew to the ISS and get them home and let the shuttle try to get back on remote.

The shuttles have no business in space, especially when we have much, much better technology.

[XBob]

7. “Hope they can fix it. They can.”

SO SORRY, IIRC panels 7 and 8 cannot be fixed, period, anwhere, they must be replaced, IRRC.

We posted that info here on FR on our looooong thread on the Colombia disaster in FEB 2003.

[don-o]

Do not panic!

[Army Air Corps]

They honestly had no idea what was in the new world. Also, these are first steps to getting off this pebble (or it damned well better be). There is a helluva lot more mineral wealth off this rock than most can imagine (it is beyond the dream of avarice).

[don-o]

Barbree is a pro. Sounds like he got an exclusive.

[HitmanLV]

So at what point does NASA officially become widely regarded as a bunch of dumbasses who should go back to the drawing board?

Seems we crossed that point a while back.

[RDTF]

well crap. But they are very well trained and know what to do.

[HEY4QDEMS]

I’ve made similar statements before and have met with similar disagreement and I’m OK with it.

I just think that a shuttle mission from start to finish, at a cost of just about 1 billion dollars, is a disgusting waste.

How many miles of border fence could be buit for that much.

[P-40]

It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.

And as Christopher Columbus proved, it's a total waste of time.

[Army Air Corps]

How many miles of border fence could be buit for that much.

Zero. The political hacks in Washington want a large underclass.

[SE Mom]

You hear about this?

[Alter Kaker]

People said the same things about the earliest Atlantic crossings.

True. However, today we have unmanned probes that are infinitely more capable than manned spacecraft and much cheaper in treasure and lives. Ferdinand and Isabella didn't have the option of sending probes.

[advertising guy]

was just thinking If I was on that shuttle,I’d suit up and take a ball pein hammer and get eyeball to eyeball with panels 7 and 8 and have a good see.

[Ikemeister]

I’ve always been a big supporter of space travel, but the Shuttle seems to be a lemon from day one. There is ALWAYS something wrong with it. Time to shelve the design and start over. It’s not worth risking any more lives.

[Army Air Corps]

You don’t colonise and exploit resources with probes.

[advertising guy]

and was thinking even more....space junk or meteors huh..........hmmmmmm, what are the odds of being hit while looking at the wing?

[Severa]

I’m 31 years old. For those older than me...how in the HELL do you sit still through a shuttle launch and landing? After what happened with the Challenger and Columbia, I’m on f**king pins and needles every time a shuttle goes up and when it comes in for landing.

[oldleft]

The biggest reason I panic is that things like this make most people conclude that space isn’t worth it. Of course, they conclude this while using GPS navigation listening to satellite radio and talking to their friends in Europe.

China and Russia think space is worth it, and that’s hood enough for me.

[SamAdams76]

As long as people volunteer, we should keep sending them.

By the way, sign me up.

[Army Air Corps]

Time to shelve the design and start over.

Heard of the Constellation Programme?

[kjam22]

The problem is the technology. The idea that they use friction to slow down. They need to find a way to enter the atmosphere at less than 3094562390486 miles per hour. A different propulsion method that doesn't require 93457932475 gallons of fuel in a tank the size of a skyscraper.

[advertising guy]

shoulda been watching in the earliest days when a capsule dropped and a parachute landed you.....that was hairy

[Alter Kaker]

And as Christopher Columbus proved, it's a total waste of time.

We have unmanned probes (Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager and Voyager 2) that have traveled beyond the reaches of the solar system. Yet astronauts continue to tool around in low earth orbit. Please let me what "exploring" these guys are doing while they're putting their lives at risk in low earth orbit. As I see it, it's considerable risk at enormous expense for zero gain.

[yield 2 the right]

Nothing to see here move along folks...non-event!!!
Minor scratch is all....

[Army Air Corps]

By the way, sign me up.

Ditto.

[HEY4QDEMS]

Why, are we planning to colonize the moon? Mars?

We can send lots of exploring drones up there without the risk to human life.