Columbia Discussion thread

Feb 1, 2003

[GRRRRR]

<
Michelin tires are out of this world ... literally. Michelin is the sole tire supplier for the Space Shuttle program since the first launch in 1981.

Michelin Aircraft Tire Corporation equips the shuttle with Michelin Air brand tires, a line of tires first introduced for the general aviation market in 1992. A lot of work goes into being the sole supplier for NASA. Shuttle tires undergo extensive testing to ensure they can support a shuttle landing at speeds up to 250 miles per hour. In addition to the routine checks for aircraft tires, space shuttle tires must also be checked by X-ray analysis, and be further tested against NASA's own standards before being mounted on the shuttle.

Surprisingly, a space shuttle tire is not much larger than a truck tire, but a main landing gear tire can carry three times the load of a Boeing 747 tire or the entire starting line-up of a NASCAR race -- 40 race cars - all hitting the pavement at up to 250 miles per hour. Michelin Aircraft Tire is a leading tire supplier for commercial and regional airlines, the military and general aviation. Space Shuttle tires are manufactured exclusively in Norwood, North Carolina.

Interesting facts and figures:

• Number of tires on the Space Shuttle:
  4 - main landing gear tires 44.5x16.0-21, 34 ply, 263 mph
  2 - nose landing gear tires 32x8.8, 20 ply, 250 mph
  
• The space shuttle tires are filled with nitrogen (as are most aircraft tires) due to its stability at different altitudes and temperatures. Due to the extremely heavy loads these bias ply tires are inflated to 340 psi (main gear) and 300 psi (nose gear).
  
• The main landing gear shuttle tires are only used one time and the nose landing gear tires are used for two landings.
  
• Weight: Since weight is of extreme importance, Michelin designs the tires with a minimum amount of tread to conserve weight, allowing for larger payloads. A few pounds may not seem to make much difference, but when you add up all of the ways to decrease weight throughout the Shuttle it can have a significant impact.
  
  

0	Space Shuttle Tire	Truck Tire	Earthmover Tire
Size/Dimension	44.5x16.0-21 MLG	425x65R22.5 XZA	425/75R20 XM27
Outside Diameter	44.9 inches	44.4 inches	45.0 inches
Section Width	16 inches	16.5 inches	16.5 inches
Wheel Rim Diameter	21 inches	22.5 inches	20 inches
Approx. Weight	205 pounds	194 pounds	165 pounds
Max. Inflation Pressure	340 PSI	125 PSI	55 PSI
Max. Operating Load	142,000 pounds	22,050 pounds	12,100 pounds
Max. Speed	259 mph	69 mph	30 mph
Load per lb. of Tire	695 pounds	114 pounds	73 pounds

 

copyright © 1999-2001 MICHELIN
Photos Copyright : Michelin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bubba_Leroy]

"High Flight"

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr.


High Flight was composed by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was born in Shanghai, China in 1922, the son of missionary parents, Reverend and Mrs. John Gillespie Magee; his father was an American and his mother was originally a British citizen.

He came to the U.S. in 1939 and earned a scholarship to Yale, but in September 1940 he enlisted in the RCAF and was graduated as a pilot. He was sent to England for combat duty in July 1941.

In August or September 1941, Pilot Officer Magee composed High Flight and sent a copy to his parents. Several months later, on December 11, 1941 his Spitfire collided with another plane over England and Magee, only 19 years of age, crashed to his death.

His remains are buried in the churchyard cemetery at Scopwick, Lincolnshire.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/prewwii/jgm.htm

[CyberAnt]

Thanks Peach - I sure need those hugs today - {{{hugs}}} to everyone!!

[steveegg]

I too, live near the Space Coast and we saw Columbia launch. Excuse my ignorance, but could the shuttle have been brought down by a device triggered by radio? (defective tiles, planted onboard ahead of time)

Again, not likely. A radio would have to have a range of at least 38 miles to make it up there (probably closer to 45 to 50 miles considering that one cannot be assured of being almost directly underneath the flight path), and with the small size of an antenna that would not have attracted the attention of a security sweep, it would have taken a powerful transmitter (at least in the 10-kilowatt range).

[gracex7]

I would alter your list only in putting 9-11 first and Pearl Harbor second. The gov't wasn't totally caught off guard with Pearl harbor and the world was already in a state of war (since Sept.1, 1939). While there were some people in the gov't who knew that we were vulnerable to terroristic organizations, even in the wildest dreams they didn't foresee this. Just MHO.

[Dave S]

Is the Indian an American Citizen?

YES

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: Hell scan this thread, youve got idiots on here that are every bit as bad as any muslims dancing in the streets.

Sadly all too true.

[lainie]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but KFI Los Angeles was interviewing a former shuttle pilot. He said Houston was telling Columbia about the tire pressure reading. The pilot on board would not know of the change otherwise.

Unfortunately, it looks like while Houston was making that transmission, they missed something the shuttle commander was saying to them.

[mewzilla]

Tire pressure change...Could the area where the tires were tucked have overheated causing a tire to blow? The heat might not have caused a problem for metal, but could it cause a tire to expand and blow?

[Peach]

I didn't have a point in quoting as closely as possible the comments of Brian Williams re the president preparing to address the nation. There were Freepers without access to a television in their computer rooms and I was just giving some text.

[bradactor]

I completely agree. I just sent my, I hope, monthly donation today to Free Republic since my car is running okay now.
Blessings to all,
Brad

[PokeyJoe]

I agree. There are examples of idiocy on FR, and in the DUh crowd that are just as bad as muslims dancing in the streets. But I'm interested in the reaction of idiots of a particular segment of foreign populations that has great animosty toward this country.

We are about to go to war in a matter of weeks, and I believe that my query is justified and reasonable for the purpose of understanding the geopolitical implications.

[Route66]

'Could the area where the tires were tucked have overheated causing a tire to blow? The heat might not
have caused a problem for metal, but could it cause a tire to expand and blow?'
>>>>>>>>>>>
They have speculated that the insulation which came loose during takeoff - was from one of the landing gear doors.
A loss of insulation from this area was deemed to not be dangerous for the continuation of the flight. Unfortunately, they may have been wrong.

[Catspaw]

Imagine how I feel -- I remember the JFK assassination

So do I. And I remember Walter Chronkite broadcasting out of the back of his station wagon for our earliest, pre-Mercury, rocket liftoffs.

[Karsus]

Thank you. It makes it difficult to follow sometimes when people don't explain what they are saying. It also doesn't help that I am rather shaken up by the events of today. It was a hell of a way to wake up this morning...Our front door was open about an inch with a heavy object behind it and when the shockwave hit it sounded like the door was going to fly off the hinges.

Sorry if I sounded short in my last message. It was not intentional.

Thanks again.

[mewzilla]

Oh, I thought the insulation came off the external fuel tank. In any case, according to NBC's Jay Barbree earlier, a number of sensors either went on the fritz or registered something before communication was lost. That could narrow the possibilities for investigators hopefully.

[steveegg]

Tire pressure change...Could the area where the tires were tucked have overheated causing a tire to blow? The heat might not have caused a problem for metal, but could it cause a tire to expand and blow?

While overheating of the area could have caused a tire to blow, it is unlikely that the tire fragments would have caused catastrophic damage. It is more likely that the same time the tires were heating up, so was the wing structure in the area and forward toward the leading edge and both let go basically simultaneously.

[lainie]

Right -- the tires heating would have been the first indication of extreme heat, goes the theory so far.

[Sacajaweau]

I remember sitting in front of the radio listening to the Lone Ranger. (We didn't have TV). This is making me sad!!

[Route66]

Heard speculation about both ideas of where the insulation - if it was insulation [maybe it was only ice]- came from.