Aerodynamics May Explain Space Shuttle Breakup: possible causes, consequences of Columbia disaster

TIME.com ^ | February 1, 2003 | Jeffrey Kluger

[RadioAstronomer]

True, but how long will ISS be viable without substantial US participation. If we have to pay Russians to do that which we intended to do then the program will crumble. There has been an incredible anount of friction between the USA and Russia during the execution of this project. I just can't see a way out of this box which would be palatable to NASA and Congress. Of course, I might be biased.

I truly don't know.

I remember when the Space Exploration Program lost out to ISS by one vote, in 1992 I think. I was employed by the Space Exploration Office and decried the circular reasoning that allowed the justification of ISS and shuttle.

You were closer to this than I was. I was working interplanetary missions at that time. I did not move to the space station program until much later.

[RadioAstronomer]

Columbia was the oldest and first ot go through the retrofit program.

I have a beautiful award framed on my wall from a Columbia launch. I will treasure it even more now.

[Movemout]

"Also, don't you think it's unlikely any meaningful conversations took place giving the rapid break up? "

No I do not think that at all. These folks, and I have met and talked with many of their colleagues, are ultimate professionals. As the castrophe unfolded, their attention would have been focused on surviving the anomolous circumstances. There would undoubtedly be important clues in those exchanges, given that there was time to have any discussion at all.

[Cicero]

I think it was probably a systems failure of some kind--notably the insulation and the tiles--or as this article suggests stress from the shuttle getting too far out of line with its flight path.

But you simply cannot rule out terrorism entirely without doing an investigation. There are numerous ways that the shuttle could conceivably be sabotaged, if a sleeper agent or a disgruntled fanatic had access to it, or possibly to a piece of equipment or one of the experiments that were carried on board. I'm sure everything was checked out carefully, but it would be hard to guard against every subtle form of sabotage. I think the odds are very much against it, but it's not impossible and it should certainly be investigated along with every other possible cause.

[Movemout]

castrophe = catstrophe

[Movemout]

I give up.

[bribriagain]

"I was in a mission control room monitoring that launch at the time."

My gosh, what a moment in history. Like the Kennedy assasination, the Challenger is a moment when everyone remembers where they were.

To be part of that history....

[RadioAstronomer]

To be part of that history....

Seems like a lifetime ago now. But today brought it all back like it was yesterday.

[longshadow]

I have a beautiful award framed on my wall from a Columbia launch. I will treasure it even more now.

If I might change the subject to something trivial for a moment, did anyone else see Dan Rather make an idiot out of himself today, talking about how the wings on the SS don't actually support it like a "real" airplane?

Memo to Dan: "Shut your d*mned mouth when you have no idea what you are talking about."

What's he think holds the Shuttle up when it is in the atmosphere during re-entry, MAGNETS?

It's bad enough that diasaters like this happen from time to time; ignorant network boobs who are technically clueless only add insult to our injury.

[supercat]

It does. Don't forget that we replaced the Challenger, with the Enterprise I think.

Was the challenger replaced? The original plan was for a fleet of five, and I'm not aware of more than five ever having been built.

[CharlotteVRWC]

See article at msn.com entitled "Space Shuttle Breaks Up During Re-entry" at http://msnbc.com/news/857733.asp?0cv=CA00#BODY for the following excerpt

"Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official told NBC’s Miklaszewski that a heat spike appeared on military satellite data around the time shuttle was re-entering. The readings would be examined to see if they correlate to the shuttle’s breakup. The highly sensitive infrared satellite, known as the DSP, originally was developed to detect the heat spike of Soviet intercontinental missile launches. It also has been used to detect the heat signature of oil fires, volcanic eruptions and the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. "

[Movemout]

"Was the challenger replaced? The original plan was for a fleet of five, and I'm not aware of more than five ever having been built. "

Yes, it was replaced by order of President Reagan. I said the new shuttle was named Enterprise, but it was actually named the Endeavor, as pointed out by Radio Astronomer and Desdemona. I guess Enterprise was probably the first flight test vehicle as I now reconsider it.

[RadioAstronomer]

Dan Rather make an idiot out of himself today, talking about how the wings on the SS don't actually support it like a "real" airplane?

Sheesh. I missed that.

[Unknown Freeper]

Thanks, Race. Good info.

[RadioAstronomer]

I guess Enterprise was probably the first flight test vehicle as I now reconsider it.

Indeed it was. It was never designed to fly into space. It was too heavy to even try to retrofit it.

[paul51]

Visited the NASA center at the Cape a couple of years ago. Was an awesome display

[longshadow]

Sheesh. I missed that.

Lucky for your TV... I nearly threw a brick at mine when I heard him say it.

[Movemout]

I wish you folks would quit hinting of some sort of coverup. The break up of a shuttle at 200K altitude and traveling at mach 15-18 will produce a heat spike recorded by DSP assets. There is no chance, I repeat no chance, that the vehicle was intercepted by a hostile missile.

[paul51]

I give up

A good light moment at a tough time.

[RadioAstronomer]

I loved the Cape. I worked there for about a year. I am so glad you enjoyed it.