[TLBSHOW]

PING

[First_Salute]

"had to have been bigger than a pinhole, in order to allow the superheated gases surrounding the ship to penetrate the hull."

Not true.

The gases' radiant energy gaining access to any of a number of key loci, would destroy the aluminum's integrity; the heat is so great, the aluminum rapidly passes through phase changes.

A "bird's eye view" from within the wing, would reveal something looking very much like a welder's torch cutting through.

[Captain Beyond]

Gee Show, your finally vindicated on this. I remember a bunch of posters ripping you a new one when it was first suggested. Think you will get any apologies?

[Joe Hadenuf]

He said the conclusion that the space shuttle was shedding pieces a full six minutes before it came apart over Texas was based on images of the doomed flight. Astronomers and amateurs on the West Coast photographed and videotaped the shuttle's final minutes.

Exactly what I suspected, as the California witnesses, and amateur astronomers seemed very credible.......

[Joe Hadenuf]

SPACE CENTER, Houston - Space shuttle Columbia began losing pieces over the California coast well before it disintegrated over Texas, the accident investigation board reported Tuesday, finally confirming what astronomers and amateur skywatchers have been saying from Day One.

Funny, I seem to remember quiet a few on this forum, that were almost fanatical, in disagreement with this. I mean, some of them were actually calling others nasty names over this.....LOL

[AndyJackson]

I want to know who is the Dick Feynman on this panel.

[tubebender]

PING...

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP

[Lord Basil]

I don't know if anyone read the following concerning the external fuel tank foam:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77832,00.html

--begin excerpt--

Until 1997, Columbia’s external fuel tanks were insulated with a Freon-based foam. Freon is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) supposedly linked with ozone depletion and phased out of widespread use under the international treaty known as the Montreal Protocol.

Despite that the Freon-based foam worked well and that an exemption from the CFC phase-out could have been obtained, NASA succumbed to political correctness. The agency substituted an allegedly more eco-friendly foam for the Freon-based foam.

PC-foam was an immediate problem.

The first mission with PC-foam resulted in 11 times more damaged thermal tiles on Columbia than the previous mission with the Freon-based foam.

A Dec. 23, 1997, diary entry on the NASA Web site reported: “308 hits were counted during the inspection, 132 were greater than 1-inch. Some of the hits measured 15 inches long, with depths measuring up to 1.5 inches. Considering that the depth of a tile is 2 inches, a 75 percent penetration depth had been reached.”

--end excerpt--

[lonewacko_dot_com]

I occasionally go out to SoCal's mountains. Is there a map showing where parts might have fallen, so I can know if I should look around where I go?

[TLBSHOW]

MORNING BUMP

[brityank]

Space shuttle Columbia began losing pieces over the California coast well before it disintegrated over Texas, the accident investigation board reported Tuesday, finally confirming what astronomers and amateur skywatchers have been saying from Day One.

Bump for some good info.

[TomServo]

Looks like you're right on this one, Todd. Hats-off.

[Publius6961]

Southern California?

This is frustrating.
I work in south Sacramento, California, and live 40 miles south. Our local newspaper had an article Saturday showing the ground track of the shuttle all the way from the coast to breakup.

The track appears to go through Sacramento, CA. So how does So. Calif get into the act?

I tried to get a better version of the ground track map from the NASA site, but apparently, although listed, it has been removed.
If anyone was able to download it, can you please post it?

Thanks.