Shuttle Contact LOST-No Tracking Data During RE-Entry!

Nasa TV | 02/01/03 | GRRRR

[GRRRRR]

Shuttle has NOT been heard from or seen on tracking radar since 0800Hrs CDT. No contact at Merrit Island tracking station, no voice comm...DEVELOPING.

[m18436572]

Leave it to CNN...

[Diana Rose]

"What does the candle represent?"
"Life."
"Whose life?"
"All life, every life. We're all born as molecules in the hearts of a billion stars, molecules that do not understand politics, policies and differences. .... The flame reminds us of the piece of those stars that live inside us. A spark that tells us: you should know better. The flame also reminds us that life is precious, as each flame is unique. When it goes out, it's gone forever. And there will never be another quite like it. So many candles will go out tonight...."
-- Babylon 5


I want to feel space beneath me, one last time. It's where I belong, where I have always belonged.

--Babylon 5

[Terriergal]

Also Post #8 Pert_UK

Go PERT!

[The South Park Republican]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/duforum/DCForumID60/32783.html#46

[conservativemusician]

I have FNC on in the other room.


This is tragic.

[Publius6961]

There's a period during re-entry where the ionization caused by the ship plowing through the upper atmosphere at thousands of mph causes radio transmissions to be disrupted.

Things have progressed tremendously since the 70s.
I suspect that a hardened recorder will be incorporated in future flights that will have ablation protection and is recoverable, that will record all the important parameters during those 15-20 minutes.
Modern solid state memory makes this very easy to do.

[quack]

Soemone speculated on another thread that a Russian Soyuz mission would be used to evacuate the space station.

I believe there is a re-entry vehicle,capable of carrying three passenger,already docked to the space station

[HighWheeler]

Incredible image from NEXRAD:

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/USLocalWide.asp?loc=klch&seg=LocalWeather&prodgrp=RadarImagery&product=BaseReflectivity&prodnav=none

[The South Park Republican]

Obviously not you. Point taken.

[Jorge]

Thermal protection would only be an issue if significant tile loss occurred and a wing burned.

They are now saying the something hit a wing during lift off, and suspect it knocked off tiles which exposed surface not designed to handle the heat or stress of re-entry.

[My back yard]

Fascinating, radar loop. Such a sad day. Such a tragedy.

[conservativemusician]

You would have to figure getting them home is now a priority.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

We need a new "Apollo Program" right now.

We need to make NASA a non-government agency so that they can tell the meddling, slimey politicians to go screw themselves when they meddle with the running of the agency.

[bonesmccoy]

I still doubt that this is the cause of this mornings events.

The leading edge of the wing is not located near the gear door. Another posting in this thread reported that tire pressure gauges were reading problems just prior to the breakup.

Gear doors are not near the leading edge of the vehicle.

[MeekOneGOP]

Meek, can you see anything? :(

No, I didn't see anything. But it was so strange. I was sitting here FReepin' away on my computer and I heard a noise. I turned my head sideways and thought to myself, 'what was that?' I didn't think much about it until I heard about this disaster and that it happened over the D/FW area. I was on MSN with my buddy John who lives in Farmers Branch (North Dallas) and he said he heard a noise too. Oh, and my Dad called me a little bit ago (I'm doing his taxes Monday for him), and he heard a loud noise at his place in Quitman, Texas. That's about 72 miles East of my place here near Dallas. He said he went outside to see if something hit his house, it was that loud.

What a horrible and sad thing, huh?

Today is Chinese New Year's. Ming was so sad to hear this news. So sad....

I printed off the picture of the people on the shuttle and showed to her and her son Yujing...

[P.O.E.]

On post 1341 is a link to the NASA launch schedule - next shuttle mission scheduled for 3/1/03, to dock with the space station.

At least, that was the schedule before this happened. Not sure what the fate of the next mission (or the shuttle program in general) is at this point

[Moose4]

A self-contained hardened recorder would be nice. But is it even feasible to make one that can survive something like this--breakup of the vehicle at 12,000 mph and 207,000 feet, the G-forces involved in deceleration, the heat of re-entry, and then that sudden stop at the bottom as it hits the ground?

If anybody can do it, our scientists and engineers can, I guess.

}:-)4

[The South Park Republican]

I make no bones about it. In my opinion, they need to be exposed. I wish we had a catagory devoted to them. I would pay extra, I think it's that important and beneficial to our cause.

Of course many others disagree with that opinon. Not the least of which the owner of this place.

[Judith Anne]

You are so irrelevant. Your self-defense is so irrelevant. Let's concentrate on the news, shall we? Post something that has nothing to do with your private pique, but that has to do with this disaster, or please refrain. Just a request. Please.

[ShandaLear]

All I can say is thank God we have a man like President Bush to guide us through our collective national grief as a result of this disaster. My heart is breaking.