Shuttle Pic--SIDE VIEW!

WFAA | 02/01/03 | GRRRRR

[GRRRRR]

This is the picture that Rintense and I have seen...from the WFAA video...you can see the shuttle from the REAR clearly, and it is traveling from FRAME RIGHT TO FRAME LEFT--look closely, you can certainly see the shuttle's main engines at the rear, also the PROFILE of the shuttle from underneath...and in the video, it's moving in the direction of the left wing...

[PokeyJoe]

that's clean for me. thanks.

[VaBthang4]

Thank you for #126. Competency has a name..."FreedomCalls".

Good job on a very bad day.

[VaBthang4]

You guys'll have to forgive my language on a terribly bad day but a whole grip of posters in this thread turned out to be some real dumbasses.

Idiots.

[jaugust]

"No you are correct. The video was taken by a cameraman employeed by WFAA...John ???? I am in Dallas and have been watching WFAA since 8:35 a.m."

Thanks. If this is the case what are all these posts concerning a Sony camcorder? If these were indeed taken by someone in the employ of WFAA, I must reiterate, would a pro videographer be using a consumer camcorder to get these images? Optical experts notwithstanding, I don't think the question has been answered.

[FReepaholic]

>>...I take it the bottom one is an engine (although scale would help)....<<

First thought was an OMS engine nozzle but judging from the pine needles I'd say it was a Reaction Control System (RCS) nozzle.

[Justa]

The 'apeture' image explanation:

-assumes the camera is a Sony.

-Does not enclose the image, it only appears to do so after editing!

-Does not account for the image remaining proportional during zooming.

-Occurs alongside in-focus images of tumbling debris in the same frames through different zoom levels.

Ime narrow-minded people are the most easily placated during times of crisis as they are unaccustomed and unwilling to solve problems on their own.

[jaugust]

"Uh guys.....the shuttle does re enter upside down."

With all due respect the shuttle does not RE-ENTER upside down. It has an upside down attitude when the engines are fired to get it into position for re-entry and begin the slow down, after which it rolls over rightside up. The craft needs to be in a 40 deg nose up attitude to re-enter at the proper angle. And in this attitude it makes its series of "s" turns to help slow it down. These include a 70 deg bank angle left and right while doing the turns. Four turns if I remember correctly.

[not-an-ostrich]

An update from WFAA's evening news. Cameraman John Proct filmed the re-entry for WFAA and it was broadcast live. John Proct did not know the contents of the film until he returned to the studio. WFAA also has video filmed by an amateur astromoner from Mesquite, TX with real time communicatons. Last communications was just seconds prior to Columbia entering the video shot.

[Moonman62]

If it's an out of focus image then how can an object, presumably at the same range, be seen in-focus, tumbling away from the main object?

This is what I don't think the know-it-alls can explain. How come I can make out the shapes of some of the falling debris, yet it would be impossible to make out the shape of the orbiter when the camera is zoomed?

[BigBobber]

Thank you for this analysis. When I saw this video it looked to me like it was taken with a professional camera with a very long lens.

[not-an-ostrich]

The amateur astronomer is Tim Hamilton, also an employee of WFAA.

[DoughtyOne]

The reason I know you are correct, this is unfocused light, is because I saw this footage as part of a segment of video. During the segment the object was large in the frame, then the camera backed away making the object smaller, then the focus was adjusted revealing this to simply be the lead part, the most bright object on the front of the smoke trail we've seen all day long. You are most definately correct that this is an out of focus segment of video of the lead object on the smoke trail.

[jaugust]

Thanks for your input. Very informative indeed! I will remain neutral until someone who is an expert actually interprets the image and tells us what we're seeing.

[wasp69]

According to the press conference it had rolled over without any problem at all and was at the proper attitude when it began to break apart.

Respectfully, it was at the proper attitude when they lost contact.

[KneelBeforeZod]

After seeing that clip about 50 times today...its just the camera being totally out of focus. you can see it get blurry, then focusing in.

lets not go pierre salinger here people.

[Jael]

Thanks for the reply. :-)

[Republic of Texas]

All I see is a bright blob.

[dennisw]

Props for the screen captures!

[KneelBeforeZod]

just watch the image on TV. its being played over and over. Just like any other camera, being totally out of focus makes the light blur into weird shapes.

you can plainly see that the camera is focused after that diamond image is shown.

[hole_n_one]