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.

[rdb3]

Last seen over Dallas.

Yep. We heard it and saw a vapor trail.

T-minus 41 days until the girth of Tha SYNDICATE, the philosophical heir to William Lloyd Garrison.
101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that Internet Explorer cannot.

[lodwick]

[capitan_refugio]

I'll tell you why it is important to make the truth known and it has nothing to do with "scientists getting their names in the newspapers."

(1) NASA went to great lengths to cover-up the disposition of the crew. They consistantly lied about the accident. The alternative would have been to graciously decline to answer the more personal questions, but make the data available to engineers in the redesign of the vehicle.

(2) The Soviet Union had a pure-oxgen environment accident several years before Apollo 1. They covered it up. If we hade known about the accident, we would have been able to avoid the disaster that killed three astronauts on the pad.

(3) The fact that the fuel in the Challenger accident erupted as a hypergolic burn suggests that the G-forces on the crew compartment were lower than first thought. In fact, they were so low that they apparently did not buckle the deck. The crew compartment broke up on impact with the water. This suggests that even in the worst case scenario (main tank "explosion") an ejectable, controlable crew capsule could have saved them. In fact, in the early design of the shuttle, that idea was considered considered, but the chances of that type of accident were too remote to justify the cost.

(4) Progress sometimes means learning from mistakes. The greatest tragedy would be to ignore the facts and repeat the mistake.

NASA needs to learn from its mistakes. Mistakes in engineering. Mistakes in design and construction. Mistakes in risk assessment. And mistakes in public relations.

[snopercod]

And mistakes in posting...

[snopercod]

Does anybody have a link to the shuttle's programmed trajectory pattern?

[here it is].

[snopercod]

Roll Schedule - as the orbiter descends through the atmosphere to a level where air pressure has built sufficiently and slows to where heating has subsided somewhat, it begins a series of four steep banks to slow down. The shuttle, in essence, fishtails through the atmosphere as it descends to dissipate its speed. The first couple of banks that the shuttle performs can often be very steep, as much as 80 degrees, that result in the shuttle's side facing toward the ground. The second, third and fourth banks are referred to as "roll reversals," since they basically reverse the shuttle's roll angle, i.e. from 80 degrees left to 70 degrees right. It is important to understand that although the shuttle is performing these steep banks, its angle of attack -- the angle of its nose toward the oncoming air pressure -- is very high, at 40 degrees for much of the entry, to protect the spacecraft from the intense heat that is generated. The angle gradually decreases, i.e. the nose is slowly brought down, as the shuttle descends and slows.

[Captain Beyond]

Thanks. That is a great picture on #2542 and a picture is worth a thousand words. It does capture the moment.

[cyn]

Thanks for that link [http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAOJSJLNBD.html -- check it out, Priz]. That news report is quite bittersweet from our present perspective; it was helpful to read.

[cyn]

Interesting, thanks for posting that info.

[First_Salute]

Thanks, chief.

This, just completed for you:

N.A.S.A. Technical Briefing

Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, transcript of a portion of yesterday's technical briefing to the press, at N.A.S.A., available Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003 online at the BBC, playable on RealPlayer. Go to position 37:00 on the "tape."

Milt Heflin, Chief Flight Director ---

8:53 A.M. EST --- Indication of off-scale low measure ... temperature measurements on the left ... the in-board and out-board hydraulic systems; this is loss of the temperature measurement; there wasn't any indication of high or low ... we just lost it.

8:56 A.M. EST --- In the left main gear tire wheel well, uh brake line and tire temperatures - there we saw an increase. Now I need to tell you that during this time, the vehicle was performing fine; we hadn't ... no indications of any problem.

8:58 A.M. EST --- We had what we call bond-line temperatures. These are temperature sensors that are embedded in the structure of the vehicle; we have 'em all over the Orbiter. Um ... three of these termperatures on the ... again the left side of the vehicle ... um, left wing area ... the off-scale low reading again. This was not high indication, low indication, but we lost the, lost the measurements.

8:59 A.M. EST --- Left in-board and out-board tire temperatures ... and pressures ... uh off-scale low. Uh, about eight ... eight measurements, total during that time. One of these ... one of these measurements uh .. uh ... sensed on-board by the computers, gave the crew ... um ... a message ... an indication that they could look at, on their displays ... um ... and they ... [clears throat] ... they ... uh ... we think, they were acknowledging that measurement that they saw. Again, the vehicle was fine with no problems at that time.

[agitator]

This is for the record from the Radio FreeRepublic chat room where a few Freepers were tracking the shuttle in real-time.

[08:23:00] <@EABinGA> but from what it looks like, it will fly directly over your head

[08:23:23] <+carenot> Woah!

[08:24:28] <@EABinGA> in about 35-40 minutes

[08:24:54] <+carenot> I will look for it. Thanks.

[08:25:15] <@EABinGA> leaving australia now, heading towards the philipines

[08:25:48] <@EABinGA> i'll see if i can let you know, when to stick your head out the window :)

[08:26:10] <+carenot> LOL, Thanks!

[08:52:24] <@EABinGA> Approaching California

[08:53:18] <+carenot> Ok. Ijust went out and didn't see anything. Sky is very bright.

[08:53:27] <@EABinGA> not yet... i'll let you know

[08:53:37] <+carenot> Ok, thanks again

[08:53:37] <@EABinGA> just north of SF, calif. now

[08:54:32] <@EABinGA> it doesnt take you long to go outside does it? it is moving very fast

[08:55:03] <+carenot> About 15 seconds

[08:55:08] <+carenot> If that.

[08:55:51] <@EABinGA> north of las vegas now

[08:56:10] <@EABinGA> arizona

[08:56:30] <@EABinGA> entering new mexico

[08:56:41] <@EABinGA> looks like it will be to the north of you

[08:57:06] <@EABinGA> eproaching texas now

[08:57:26] <@EABinGA> probably will be in texas in about 2 minutes

[08:58:15] <@EABinGA> going from new mexico to luisiana in a straight line, entering texas now

[08:58:22] <@EABinGA> time to go outside

[08:58:29] <+carenot> Ok, going now!

[09:00:26] <@EABinGA> they lost tracking.....

[09:02:25] <@EABinGA> probably long gone now

[09:04:59] <@EABinGA> should be landing in 12 minutes

[09:05:32] <+carenot> Ok, back in

[09:05:38] <@EABinGA> nothing?

[09:05:40] <+carenot> It is cold out there

[09:06:07] * @EABinGA passes carenot a cup of hot tea

[09:06:16] <+carenot> No I didn't see or hear anything and now I have a stiff neck!

[09:06:26] <+carenot> Thanks, LOL

[09:06:26] <@EABinGA> :)

[09:06:46] <@EABinGA> they are trying to contact the shuttle....

[09:07:01] <+carenot> They lost it?

[09:07:12] <@EABinGA> yeah, over your house

[09:07:51] <@EABinGA> 8 minutes to landing

[09:07:55] <+carenot> How big is it? Maybe I better check the tornado cellar

[09:08:46] <@EABinGA> it wont fit in there :D

[09:08:52] <+carenot> Good

[09:09:34] <+carenot> Where is it supposed to land?

[09:09:38] <@EABinGA> i am surprised how calm the folks are at mission control.... they actually look bored

[09:09:41] <@EABinGA> florida

[09:09:59] <@EABinGA> still looking for the shuttle

[09:10:06] <@EABinGA> 6 more minutes

[09:10:35] <@EABinGA> lost contact about 10 minutes ago

[09:10:51] <+carenot> How in heck can they lose a shuttle? What about all the radar every where?

[09:11:40] <+carenot> My thinking

[09:11:48] <@EABinGA> 5 minutes

[09:12:53] <@EABinGA> 4 minutes and still no contact

[09:13:46] <@EABinGA> 3 minutes

[09:14:41] <@EABinGA> starting contingency procedures

[09:14:52] <@EABinGA> people are actually moving at mission control

[09:15:02] <@EABinGA> no radar contact

[09:15:04] <@EABinGA> 1 minute

[09:15:54] <+carenot> I can't believe they lost it!

[09:16:12] <@EABinGA> should have touched down by now

[09:17:06] <@EABinGA> look at FR

[09:17:11] <+carenot> OK

[09:17:19] <@EABinGA> 3 messages already posted

[09:17:06] <@EABinGA> look at FR

[09:17:11] <+carenot> OK

[09:17:19] <@EABinGA> 3 messages already posted

[09:17:37] * bigaln2 (trillian@TORN-32B687FB.netwurx.net) has joined #rfr

[09:17:38] * ChanServ sets mode: +v bigaln2

[09:19:13] <+carenot> They lost the shuttle!

[09:20:52] <+carenot> I wonder if it has been blow up and they are not telling us?

[09:21:37] <@EABinGA> i am watching NASA TV...

[09:22:20] <@EABinGA> you didnt see it blow up?

[09:22:35] <+carenot> I didn't see nuffin!

[09:23:02] * Scutter (Scutter@TORN-104DEC60.cmngga.adelphia.net) has joined #rfr

[09:23:03] * ChanServ sets mode: +v Scutter

[09:23:04] <@EABinGA> Last seen over Dallas.

[09:23:09] <+Scutter> Shit

[09:23:27] <+carenot> Fix my hat hat please Scutter.

[09:23:42] <@EABinGA> I am not lying about this. I live in Dallas. Right at the time it disappeared, we heard a large boom.

[09:23:46] <@EABinGA> from FR

[09:23:47] * +Scutter adjusts carenot's hat

[09:25:05] <+carenot> I saw that it was visible in Dallas on the tv. It showed a very long contrail

[09:26:27] <+carenot> Just said they are securing all records and data.

[09:28:21] <+bigaln2> What the hell happened to the shuttle?

[09:28:38] <+carenot> They lost it

[09:28:42] <+Scutter> don't know al, but it isn't looking good

[09:28:57] <+bigaln2> The pictures on CNN are quite damning

[09:29:10] <+Scutter> its gliding in for a landing, so its not like it can just float around up there indefinately

[bvw]

Good points.

[lodwick]

Thanks for the FRradio transcript. Good stuff. I guess you saw the WSJ story crediting FR with having the shuttle story posted 11 minutes before the AP did and using the word Freepers.

[GRRRRR]

[lodwick]

Thanks for the alert - coming back from the grocer, it was reported that a big part of the cabin and body parts were located...no specifics on where.

[Houmatt]

Big.

Freaking.

Deal.

Regardless of the reasoning behind this, there was, in fact, no reason whatsoever to justify making the prolonged demise of the Challenger astronauts public. And you cannot even justify it yourself.

Perhaps you have seen my comments about K-Mart raid last year here in Houston. You may also have noticed the amount of people who have come in solely to take me to task on my position.

Thus far, the only one who has disagreed with me here is you. I do not expect anymore to do so.

[lodwick]

Live NASA press conference thread here

[lodwick]

You have gotta learn to lose those bentmember tags.

[lodwick]

Dang it!

[Darksheare]

If we drop the froggies on the 'Raqis, will that make them surrender?