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...

[Monty22]

That is an out of focus on a point of light. Often UFO pics are like that.

Do not take it as a proper image of any contrast.

[PokeyJoe]

I dunno. Looks like swamp gas to me.

[ewing]

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I do. Send it. I'll post it.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Or rather, Freep mail me if you want my email address.

[alancarp]

NASA: NOT DIRECT QUOTES
7:53 CDT - off-scale temperature measurements -- loss of data
7:56 CDT - increase in temperatures in left tire/wheel well
7:58 CDT - interior temperature sensors; 3 on left side of orbiter - left side - lost temp measurements
7:59 CDT - left inbound/outbound temps (8) were off-scale low (loss of readings
Crew saw messages related to these -- crew acknowledged the messages. Last transmission.
Lost all vehicle data at roughly 8:00 CDT
Altitude 207,135 feet; Mach 18.3 speed

[hole_n_one]

[HighWheeler]

I saw those pictures earlier when I was on the phone with another engineer and we discussing the image. We both concluded it was an camera imaging error.

Notice there is no trailing of debris or fire about the entire perimeter of the object in this image. It is symmetrical. A contrail of debris and flame would have been evident otherwise.

This anomally was caused by a momentary out of focus condition of the lens, the diamond pattern is due to the crystal structure of the glass of the lens. An instant later the camera goes into focus and the image shows a single point without the lens flaring.

[GRRRRR]

Well, I THINK, what we see is an extreme close up by the videographer. I believe we see the shuttle moving from right to left, I think this shows the rear view of the shuttle, see the profile? It's wide at the bottom of the frame and narrows to the top...is the shuttle flying 90 degrees to the right? Is the LEFT WING leading the direction of travel? Has the shuttle yawed 90 degrees to the right?

[mikegi]

I just capped this and got a similar still image:

This is apparently from underneath and I can't make out the rudder sticking up. I've created a page with this and other stills. I'll try to create some short mpeg clips, too. Here's a link: http://www.gibsonridgesoftware.com/shuttle/shuttle.htm

[GRRRRR]

Hmmm...I just don't think so...Please keep a Watch on FOX...they have beenshowing this video all morning...it's right at the start...I'm NO EXPERT, and you may be right about the iris reflection etc...but when you see the video..it really does appear to be so.

[Cicero]

It might yield to professional analysis and computer enhancement, but I confess I can't make anything of it. I wasn't watching the pictures of the shuttle coming in, and it could be you could see more by watching apparent changes in the angle of flight.

[GRRRRR]

Excellent enhancement! Just what I thought!

[Humidston]

Thanks, GRRRRR. I'm working on it. Will be studying along with everyone else.

[alancarp]

Lousy typing -- but the gyst from the news conference is that temperature sensors on the left side of the vehicle were incrementally getting more and more anomalous readings over the last 7 minutes of data. Sounds a whole lot like a creeping problem that eventually enveloped the entire airframe, resulting in a catatrosphic aerodynamic failure.

Count this as personal speculation, but it would seem to add up to a burn-through, since the NASA guys indicated that the aero performance was nominal up until the loss of data.

[Alberta's Child]

It's important to note here that this image was taken before a single debris contrail appeared. In fact, as soon as the camera zoomed out you saw a single point of light below this image and to the right, traveling at the same speed in a right-to-left direction. It was then that the contrails started to appear.

My first reaction when I saw this thing live was that it was a sideways view of the shuttle. I'm not sure exactly where this fits in terms of the sequence of events detailed in NASA's description, but I'll bet that all the "loss of data" and "loss of contact" occurred a good many seconds before this first image even appeared.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I'm sorry, but I just can't tell from that photo what it is I am supposed to be seeing. The Virgin Mary? What exactly is significant?

[Humidston]

Great shots, mikegi! Excellent job!