NASA Press Conference LIVE THREAD

Fox, CNN, networks, NASA TV | February 2, 2003 | NASA

[craig_eddy]

environmentally friendly products

They'll kill us all before it's over.

[Semper911]

Did they tell the crew about the debris that hit the wing on the ascent?
Did the crew know there could be a potential problem on re-entry?

Finally. They said the crew knew about the debris, but they were told that it was inconsequencial.

[snopercod]

Switching to KSC reporters...

[HairOfTheDog]

They are duty bound to look at everything else that might also explain the data, and doubtless the story will change as it takes form.

Yes, and I am quite willing to wait for the right answer. It will come.

[DoughtyOne]

One comment this guy has made several times now, at least once yesterday and once today, it that they conisered the hit to the left wing and "didn't think" it was a problem.

He now seems rather dismissive of questions regarding inspecting or viewing the wing closely to see if there was damage.

In light of this catastrophic failure, the comment "we didn't think" it was a problem kindof leaves me cold.

If damage could have been detected before reentry, the shuttle could have used it's fuel to maintain orbit for for extra time. I believe there was another shuttle scheduled for about the third week of February. Dismissing the chance to view the shuttle using the Hubble or something else, seems carless in the extreme to me.

[don-o]

Jumping in here, I am greatly imprssed by Dittemore. He is giving what he can

[WoofDog123]

"why is the DOD involved?"

dunno specific reason(s), but active duty military were killed in this flight.

[fooman]

This is what we did in our program. We compared the data the satellite's computers to ground 'truth' images.

We took three dumps and compared the dumps to each other and then the ground info.

Memory can take radiation hits in space and change its contents.

But I bet the shuttle's computer are much more hardened than ours.

[Cboldt]

Perhaps the wheel and attached strut extended over California and took some sensors/wiring with it when it snapped off...

Pay attention. Read carefully. The man said that sensors in wheel well were lost in a staggered fashion, and specifically said that this happened after CA, and further, that the staggered loss of sensor indicates something other than sudden change at that moment.

[Mo1]

I keep reading that about the tanks ..

I don't want to get the wrong impression but what does NASA mean by "environmentally friendly"

[don-o]

If damage could have been detected before reentry, the shuttle could have used it's fuel to maintain orbit for for extra time.

Nope. There is no possibilty for a recue, off this underfuned effort.

[Rafterman1]

I believe there was another shuttle scheduled for about the third week of February.

I don't believe that the next shuttle was due to launch for a few months...

[snopercod]

Dittemore: "We have had conditions in the past where the vehicle has sensed an atmospheric layer, and the FCS would react to it, so those situations are normal. What is interesting is that the degree in which the elevons were trying to correct was outside of our experience."

[HairOfTheDog]

They make a lot of judgment calls in this business... and every one of them is risky. If they turn out to have made the wrong call here, then they will know more about it than they did before, but I am not sure that makes anyone careless.

[fooman]

I think that it is you that brought this up yesterday. IF, IF this were true, it would be ironic that PC kills here.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm not sure why it wouldn't be possible with another shuttle going up. Please explain.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Oh, another good question: Why were military satellites or telescopes not used to look at the bottom of the orbiter if there was a question regarding tile damage? "

"Answer: they don't have enough resolution to see anything."

I thought spy satellites could read license plates from orbit. Why not the other way around? (This sounds like ass-covering to me.)

[_Jim]

In light of this catastrophic failure, the comment "we didn't think" it was a problem kindof leaves me cold.

THIS is typical engineering speak. Engineers think - they don't 'feel' in their trade unless they find themselves at a loss for any other way to make a decision ...

[Amelia]

That's what I thought.

[ARA]

march 1