Australian astronomer's 'extraordinary account' of mishap

SMH ^ | Feb 2, 03 | AAP

[SLB]

An Australian astronomer in California could be a key eyewitness to solving the mystery of today's space shuttle disaster.

Anthony Beasley, an Australian working at an observatory north of Los Angeles, said he saw what could be tiles falling off the Columbia as it flew over California and on its way to the scheduled landing in Florida.

Most video footage and eyewitness reports of the shuttle breaking up came from witnesses in the central US state of Texas.

If Beasley is correct, it indicates the shuttle began to disintegrate on the west coast above California.

Beasley telephoned US television network ABC to tell of his sighting.

"After the first few flashes I thought to myself that I knew the shuttle lost tiles as it re-entered and quite possibly that was what was going on," Beasley, speaking live, told ABC news anchor Peter Jennings.

The Australian told how he saw "a couple of flashes" and "things clearly trailing" the shuttle.

"I think that after the particularly bright event I started to wonder whether or not things were happening how they should," Beasley said.

Two US space experts who were listening to Beasley's description said the information was highly valuable.

They said tiles falling off the shuttle would be too small to be picked up by NASA radar.

"This says that something was coming off the shuttle far earlier than what happened over Texas would suggest," former space shuttle astronaut, Norm Thagard, told ABC.

"It leads in the direction that tile loss or some type of structural loss like that was likely to be a cause. But it still doesn't rule out other possibilities."

Former NASA engineer, Jim Oberg, described Beasley's eyewitness report as "an extraordinary account".

"If the left wing is losing tiles you then not only have over-heating in that wing but you have extra drag and it's like flying along and having your wing run into something," Oberg said.

"It could violently turn, twist the nose of the ship to the left and that would be it. That would be the point where it would be torn apart."

[Quilla]

During the last freepathon when giving a donation, a list appeared giving total donations per state. FWIW, both times I donated California freepers were at the top.

[Kevin Curry]

There apparently is amateur video footage taken from the vicinity of St. George, Utah, just northeast of Las Vegas, that also shows glowing debris trailing Challenger.

[Quilla]

At the time you witnessed these events, didn't the shuttle astronauts still have communication abilities? I can envision them being unaware of say, tiles falling off. But you'd think they could hear whatever was causing the bright flashes - explosions maybe. On the other hand, I suspect the noise level when traveling 12,500 mph is incredible.

Thank you for posting what you witnessed. I am sure you experienced a feeling that something was terribly wrong. This is so sad.

[Amerigomag]

Anything coming out of California, whether or not from an Australian, is suspect.

Yet another astronomer photographed what appears to be the disintigration of Columbia beginning over central California. These images were recorded with a digital, motion picture camera from his back yard in Springville, CA (southeast of Fresno in the Sierra Neveda foothills).

His images show one event the created a large plasma plume and a seperate, glowing projectile emerging from the flight path of Columbia that appeared to seperate from Columbia. Not the spectacular multiple seperations over east Texas but none the less discernable.

[Bob]

Anything coming out of California, whether or not from an Australian, is suspect.

Please refer to the snail mail address of FreeRepublic at the bottom of this page before you bash the entire state.

(Hint: The CA doesn't stand for Canada.)

[Bob]

On the other hand, I suspect the noise level when traveling 12,500 mph is incredible.

At 12,5000 mph, the shuttle was going much faster than sound travels. Any sound from an explosion behind them wouldn't catch up to them.

[eno_]

Just the color of the light given off by heating the debris in the atmosphere should tell whether it is silica from the tiles or aluminum from the wing itself, or both.

[js1138]

(Hint: The CA doesn't stand for Canada.)

But man, was I confused the first time a pilot announced we had just landed in Onterio, CA.

[Quilla]

Excellent reasoning, thanks!

[FReepaholic]

>>...The pictures, taken with a Nikon 8 camera on a tripod...<<

Never heard of a "Nikon 8" camera.

Reporter, as usual, probably got the facts wrong. Guy may have been using an 8" telescope with a Nikon camera body attached.

[Bob]

But man, was I confused the first time a pilot announced we had just landed in Onterio, CA.

Yep, we've got ours and they've got theirs. :=)

[RckyRaCoCo]

I remember the earlier landings the first image of the shuttle coming in was using an infrared video(just showed the heated outline of the tiles below the shuttle but showed the entire surface below).

How far into the re-entry\landing process were these cameras able to pick up the heat signatures of the shuttle and is it possible some independent astronomer could have had a similar infrared telescope fixed on the shuttle at the time and perhaps could have viewed a wing separation, etc. with it?

Just a thought.

[Bob]

Never heard of a "Nikon 8" camera.

Neither has Google. There doesn't appear to be any such model.

[TLBSHOW]

Then you missed this thread yesterday!


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/834060/posts?page=256#256

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I saw Anthony Beasley´s interview yesterday on ABC. His explanation was extremely believable. He referred to the tile loses as the “zipper effect.” Once the first tile dislodged, the rest followed like unzipping a zipper.

Another surprise I got was from one of the NASA panel members (I don’t recall which one). I hadn’t realized the object that fell off the shuttle and struck the left wing as the Columbia was lifting off was the size of a door. In my mind’s eye, it was something small and insignificant.

[Magnum44]

Appreciate the ping. Wish I could add something here, but I really can't. As more evidence is found and analyzed, perhaps the picture will become more defined. I think it will be several months before any conclusions are drawn and made public. Of course if I hear anything among my own circles, I'll pass it on.

Regards,

[Archangelsk]

You're welcome and I'm stealing and modifying your tag line. :-)

[no-s]

Anything coming out of California, [...], is suspect. (LOL) You should stay away from FreeRepublic then, foolish one...California is prominently structural to FR.

[jlogajan]

It came up during the NASA news conference yesterday but was discounted by one NASA expert as being the hot plama which is normally seen trailing the shuttle on re-entry.

For some reason he was talking about Hawaii.

[wasp69]

bttt