[isthisnickcool]

Question? Does ground control send the data to the onboard computer to control the shuttle as it approaches the atmosphere?

I'm pretty sure that answer to that question would be no. For numerous reasons. Things like time latency between such a command and the on-board systems response, the possibility of another "signal" or "unauhorized command" being sent by another entity (maybe this is what you are thinking about), but mainly because there are points in time where no radio transmission could be sent/received anyway because the plasma blackout. No "remote control" that I know of.

The plasma blackout will also likely make it difficult or impossible to receive data that is usually downlinked that might point to the point of failure.

Seems to me that the chase plane video may be helpful if they have good images.

[PhiKapMom]

I thought that was how it went but I wasn't sure. Do we know at what point they would have gone into blackout as it seems that NASA was still in contact with the Shuttle and lost contact but not because it went into the blackout phase?

Was looking up atmosphere and at the point the shuttle was at it seems to be pretty thin unlike when it gets closer to ground.