Shuttle Lost Parts Over Calif. (finally confirming what amateur skywatchers from Day One said)

ap ^ | 2/18/2002 | MARCIA DUNN

[TLBSHOW]

My point since the Trent Lott affair, good post! I don't know how they can even sleep being such hypocrites!

[Howlin]

you have a gang of thugs kicking on a poster you think is weak and down.

You sound downright paranoid, but I'm sure I'm not the first one to say that to you.

So you think Toddie is weak and down? Good to know.

[bvw]

Nice twist, there Howlin. No, I do not think Todd is weak or down -- he puts up his ideas and he backs them up -- but I reckon that y'all do, which is why the gang-up.

[XBob]

May be we should show up!

If one of youall can arrange it, I would be happy to go. It's not far to Houston.

[XBob]

66- we agree - you wrote

"I believe it punched a depression in the tiles and damaged the honeycomb panel underneath.

The eventual burn out damaged the RCC supports and glove support as well as the wiring.

As the structure failed the problem got worse and led to loss of control and the shuttle.

[Joe Hadenuf]

LOL, just got in, and I am just sitting here enjoying this...

[Fred Mertz]

They might be worse than leftists...LOL

[TLBSHOW]

This one or the other thread? LOL

I just call truth as I know it to be and I get slammed but hey I know I am right and that counts for something right!

[Joe Hadenuf]

Nobody believes a word you say anymore.

Howlin has spoken for everyone on the Free Republic....Again.......

[TLBSHOW]

It is really funny but then again its sad. As Howlin would say make up your mind! LOL

I hear they found another piece today, what will be interesting is what piece's they are missing.

[XBob]

bump 184

[John Jamieson]

I've got what I think is a new twist. I'm having trouble dealing with a problem that first shows up very near the beginning of the aero heating and yet the Columbia lasts almost all the way until the end of aero heating about 7 minutes later.

The only explaination I can come with is that the initial breach was very small and grew slowly and in away that didn't damage the structure quickly.

I think the intial breach was no more than a half inch or so in the RCC leading edge. The breach had to be well outboard of the wheel well on the left side and just under the leading edge. The first sensors to go were farther out and back on the wing. There wiring runs out along the wing where they can be burned long before the wires along the wheel well were burned.

The wing is traveling at about a 40 degree of attack, so a breach on the leading edge bottom would hit the leading edge bulkhead near its top edge and burn through. The breach itself would grow slowly due to it's edges burning. Hot gases are now running inside the top surface of the wing, softning the aluminum skin, and damaging the RTV bonding the upper tiles. Top surface tiles start peeling off, not the bottom surface. This is the early debris. Extra heating also noted on the body above the wing from a blow through.

As the RSS breach grows larger and the plama stream changes direction from the roll reversals, other sensors start failing, temperatures raise. The wing is losing structural strength in its top surface and eventually folds back and comes off altogether, the shuttle tumbles and major parts fly off everywhere.

The idea is a small entrance wound, but a large exit one.

What do you think?

[XBob]

interesting idea. i will look at it when i am fresh and get back to you tomorrow. I am going to crash now.

however, initially, i think you need to look at all of the the 25 sensor out slide show (save them all) from NASA, andf look at the sequence, location, type of problem, and wiring, and we can discuss it tomorrow (sorry, later today)

[NittanyLion]

Howlin has spoken for everyone on the Free Republic....Again.......

I remember when Howlin and TLBSHOW were good buddies. That was back before TLB committed the mortal sin...questioning one of Pres. Bush's policies.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Hehehe....That doesn't shock me....But it did make me laugh.

[NittanyLion]

Hehehe....That doesn't shock me....But it did make me laugh.

What makes me laugh is watching the two flame each other. One's as bad as the other, yet they both get indignant over the opposite's actions.