NASA Press Conference LIVE THREAD

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

[snopercod]

Any time now...

[snopercod]

Yes. There is a two-stage action that can only be completed by the crew. There are guarded "Arm" and "Dn" pushbuttons on both panel F8 and F8. The computer cannot deploy the gear.

[Don Munn]

Good Question on what came first, heat or correction.

As they continue to break out the data from the sensors that will be known.

[Fitzcarraldo]

It's a good thought but I bet the external pressures on the vehicle during this phase are so high that the gear motor couldn't extend the strut if it was trying to.

I think the external pressures at sea level are higher when it opens normally...alternatively if it open high in the atmosphere, there would be very little force opposing it until the shuttle dipped lower, then the force would be tangential but the heating very high...

[fooman]

I concur. They could leave an astronaught lifeboat in the shuttle's orbit or have ruskie craft ready to launch to bail our sorry asses out!

[alancarp]

...ground-based scopes...
The claim is that the resolution wouldn't be good enough -- I suspect tracking would be a serious problem for them, too. The shuttle (in orbit) crosses the entire horizon in about 90-120 seconds.

[_Jim]

Could a faulty elevon cause a tumble??

Yes. If it was faulty. If it's wiring/hydraulics lines were 'cut' ...

[Karsus]

Yep. That explains why we lost the crew of Apollo XIII.

If they were given enought reason (death) they could have come up with something.

[Lockbox]

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

I sure that it has to do with the spy camera designed to focus on a spot hundreds on mile away, and through the atmosphere. Kind of like near or far sighted for a human.

[Jael]

The had stopped using freon because of the Clean Air Act. And when they stopped using Freon, they started having problems with the insulation peeling off upon ascent. In three of the last four missions. It was a problem, and it was something they knew about. But, they are saying it wasn't something that was a flight danger.

I think they were wrong.

"According to NASA, during several previous Space Shuttle flights, including the shuttle launched Nov. 29, 1998, the shuttle external tank experienced a significant loss of foam from the intertank. The material lost caused damage to the thermal protection high-temperature tiles on the lower surface of the shuttle orbiter. The loss of external tank foam material and subsequent damage to reentry tiles is a concern because it causes tile replacement costs to significantly increase, however, it is not a flight safety issue."

http://www.arnold.af.mil/aedc/newsreleases/1999/99-041.htm

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: They are crawfishing right now. Trying not to take the blame, trying to cover up what they really should have done. They had 16 days up there, they should have spacewalked around the shuttle to check for damage. Watch, when they improve there safety procedures, and there is damage to the spacecraft, they will take a space walk to check it out. Then it will be time to thing about contingencies, like how to get them home. Unlike the events that they call contingencies now, A DISASTER!

Tell me, do you write for the New York Times or do you report for CNN? Must be one or the other as you have become judge, jury and executioner.

Why even watch this? You have already made up your mind.

[Reagan Man]

Appreciate the info.

Just found it thru Google.

[snopercod]

We must have something that could have seen the shuttle.

Dittemore explained it in detail. "Even if you could see some white areas on on a telescope, that would not tell you the nature of the damage. Regardless, there is nothing that could be done anyway. We have no capability to repair any damage."

Some moron from WESH asking a question that was answered earlier on how many seconds into the ascent that the debris fell off the ET. They should make these guys pass a basic intelligence test before being allowed into the room.

[MangyDingo]

It hit the bottom on the wing. The concern about sending the astronauts to look at it is due to several factors:

1) no handholds to the underside of the orbiter
2) no EVA thruster packs or MMU on board
3) the fragility of the tiles.

Sending an astronaut out to look at the underside of the orbiter would entail having him or her grip the hull of the orbiter in gloves that are bulky and aren't very good at gripping in that way.

The risk is that the astronaut will damage the surface of the orbiter, particularly the tiles on the leading edge of the wing, while dragging him or herself across the hull. There is the added danger that they could lose their grip along the way, tangle their umbilical, damage their spacesuit, etc. All this for a problem they can do nothing about, if it is critical. A bad suituation, but that's what they had.

Baron von Smash

[Rafterman1]

Yep. That explains why we lost the crew of Apollo XIII.

Hmmmm...I wasn't aware that the crew of Apollo XIII was "lost".

[fooman]

Good points. The counter could be the 'testability' of the software(test ALL code paths and states). What is MORE likely here is the the flight control system was performing correctly to compensate for the wing drag...

[Jim Noble]

>>I just hope they were, because if they weren't, some people paid a high cost<<

You are making the assumption that, if they knew the underside of the left wing had a fatal defect (probably not, the tiles were probably only loose and didn't come off until reentry)-that there were available tools to stage a rescue.

This is almost certainly not true.

[PhiKapMom]

Don't give me your spin -- My family/friends are involved in aerospace/electronic/software and will match their credentials with you any day of the week!

In fact, one of them is standing right beside me as I write this.

Why do you feel a need to be come on these threads and try to defend the Government when it is absolutely not necessary? You don't have any idea where my family works or what they do but yet you know they don't know!

Whoever is paying you is not getting their money's worth. This is an accident investigation and I will repeat "NOTHING" is ruled out until the investigation is farther along. Glad you are smarter than the accident investigation team! (sarcasm)

[HairOfTheDog]

I think they were wrong.

Yeah, but they actually have expertise. And a personal investment in the outcome.

[snopercod]

Someone needs to catalog all these "green" effects on the shuttle program.

When I worked there, they had to change all the ground cooling equipment on the MLPs to non-freon. The cost must have been astronomical.