To: bonesmccoy; SamAdams76
Ok, so if the landing gear is still retracted, then what could cause a change in tire pressure? I highly doubt a tire explosion could rip a hole in the shuttle. It seems more likely that it was a loss of pressure in the lower area of the shuttle that went undetected that cause the tire pressure to change.
But, could a tire explosion have cause severe damage to the craft?
328 posted on
02/01/2003 9:39:32 AM PST by
rintense
(Go Get 'Em Dubya!)
To: rintense
If the tiles over the bay that holds the landing gear came off .....this could have caused the bay to overheat and the tires exploded.
346 posted on
02/01/2003 9:42:02 AM PST by
Dog
To: rintense
If there was a loss of thermal protection over the gear doors, you could have a compromise of the tire pressure because of the relationship between temperature and pressure.
If the PLT or CDR noted a tire pressure gauge reading changing, it may be an indication of loss of integrity of the heat shield.
361 posted on
02/01/2003 9:44:41 AM PST by
bonesmccoy
(Defeat the terrorists... Vaccinate!)
To: rintense
Ok, so if the landing gear is still retracted, then what could cause a change in tire pressure? Heat not anticipated by the designers, something breaking through the gear door and piercing the tire. The first would have caused a brief overinflation, followed by a tire explosion, while the latter would have caused an explosive decompression. The wheel well is, in all likelyhood, not pressurized.
To: rintense
I highly doubt a tire explosion could rip a hole in the shuttle. I don't think that was the point. The point was that a sudden overpressure in the tire would indicate a burn-through failure at a particular place in the Shuttle, pointing to a likely spot to investigate for the original failure point. It would be a clue, not a cause of the break-up.
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