NASA Press Conference Thread

[ksen]

NASA Press conference any minute now....

[CharlotteVRWC]

Read this tidbit from the msn.com website article "Space Shuttle Breaks Up During Re-entry" (http://msnbc.com/news/857733.asp?0cv=CA00#BODY)

"A U.S. official also told Miklaszewski that a heat spike appeared on military satellite data around the time shuttle was reentering - it is being examined to see if it correlates to the shuttle and it breaking up. The highly-sensitive infrared satellite, known as the DSP, originally was developed to detect the heat spike of Soviet ICBM launches. As ground controllers gained familiarity and confidence in its capabilities, it has been used to detect everything from oil fires to volcanic eruptions the the explosion of TWA 800 in 1996. "

[snopercod]

7:53AM CST offscale low LIB and LOB elevon hydraulic temp sensors. Three minutes later LMG tire pressure showed an increase. 7:58 Longeron left side temp sensors offscale low readings. 5.59 LIB/LOB tire pressures offscale low.

Crew got a message on their displays. No other problems with vehicle noted at this time.

Lost all vehicle data around 8AM CST 207,135' Mach 18.3 [didn't have exact time]

[FBD]

Thanks, FRiend.

[Ichneumon]

Would any of them have gone if they actually believed they would disintegrate on re-entry?

Close enough -- all of them knew that was a distinct possibility, along with countless other sorts of disasters (Challenger, etc.)

[steveegg]

NASA timeline:

7:53 am CST - Loss of temperature measurement in left inboard and outboard hydraulic.

7:56 am CST - Left gear brake line temperature increase.

7:58 am CST - 3 temperature sensors in the left wing structure were lost

7:59 am CST - Left inboard/outboard pressure/tire temperature measurements lost. First on-board indication for crew that there was a problem. Columbia still flying nominally.

8:00 am CST (approximate) - Last transmission from Columbia; all telemetry data lost.

[flying Elvis]

Here's a link to a doppler image of the disaster.

http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/headlines.asp?iws=0

[snopercod]

As a former shuttle instrumentation engineer, my first question is whether all these measurements went through the same DSC [Dedicated Signal Conditioner] in the midbody.

It almost sounds like a cable burnthrough out in the wing somewhere.

I was confused about the tire pressures. If I understood correctly, they showed an increase, then went offscale low.

[steveegg]

Fast transcription work.

[snopercod]

NASA: "It's more than a job. It's a passion"

[steveegg]

From what I heard of Ron Dittemore's timeline, there was no mention of an increase in tire pressure; just a loss of data. I would suspect that there was both nearly-simultaneously.

[DoughtyOne]

My Pleasure.

[commish]

Well, I think we can all agree where the first level of discussion on the cause of this disaster will focus.

The NASA timeline centers on Left wing DAta losses, elevated temperatures, etc. Culminating in the crew acknowledgement of a High Temp Warning in the last minute before breakup.

That coupled with the knowledge of the debris striking the Left Wing during Liftoff starts to paint a picture of what may have been the cause.

Just rank amatuer speculation, but putting together the facts that something struck the Left wing during Liftoff, and now the NASA acknowledgement that all the abnormal indications came from the Left Wing -- it seems that these astronauts were doomed from the start by a string of tragic circumstances.

My sincere prayers and condolences to the families and friends of these brave pioneers, and to the entire NASA family.

[_Jim]

I was confused about the tire pressures. If I understood correctly, they showed an increase, then went offscale low.

I copied, regarding tires:

7:56 Left-main gear tire-temp
7:59 Left IB and OB Tire Temp + Press. Offscale and Low

[FBD]

Why are you posting such INANE drivel???

These folks are heros.

The very technology that allows you to post your ignorance around the world, comes in part from brave astronauts who took the risks to service and deliver communication satelites, not to mention the military spy satelites, that protect your sorry rear-end from terrorism!

Give them your respect, not your blather!!!

[commish]

Yep, just starting the S turns to scrub speed, and also at the point where the Tires would be inflated for landing.

Again speculation, but if they had damage to the left wing and elevated temps on that wing and with the tires - what would the effect of the stresses be when you combine that with a high speed turn and inflation of what now appear to be overheating tires.

Could one of the tires have exploded at just the right instant, thereby adding more damage to an already damaged wing?

As with all engineering disasters I think this will be found to be a string of seperate incidents that in and of themselves would have not caused structural failure, but wonce put in motion and combined spelled disaster.

[snopercod]

At 7:56 was it a brake line temp sensor or a tire pressure sensor that showed an increase?

There are temp sensors on the tires, but they are compensation for the tire-pressure strain gages.