NASA Press Conference LIVE THREAD

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

[snopercod]

Any time now...

[fooman]

That guy bob was a complete weanie and had no value added.

[Poohbah]

I don't see how using one set of materials or another would've saved these folks. They had a better chance of surviving the shuttle hitting the control tower at KSC during landing.

[alancarp]

I hate to ask, but is it possible that the computer had a problem?

Probably not. If there was a burn-through event on the left side (that's my working assumption), then there would have been increasingly damaging drag on the left side of the orbiter. The computers would undoubtedly have detected and compensated for this to a point. Once the left wing became unusable, the computers would have had nothing left to work with -- overcompensation or not, the corrections probably kept the crew alive for a few seconds more, FWIW.

P.S. - whatever the state of safety in NASA, this computer software is THE MOST thoroughly protected, managed, and tested computer programs on earth. Simulations like this have undoubtedly been run hundreds or thousands of times. While the computers could have failed, the FCS software most likely did not.

[Rafterman1]

One of the optical engineers on FR debunked that video yesterday as an image of the camera shutter...no way the camera could have resolved the shuttle from 200k feet...

[Braak]

Darn double posts, was trying to say "Feel bad for the ISS guys, they have a long four months ahead of them."

[djf]

Please don't take what I said as a critiism, it's just yesterday they kept saying "off scale low" and I don't remember them saying clearly that there was a heat problem.

[Dog]

The drag increase on the left wing seems to have been captured on that WFAA video....

[MediaMole]

That video does not show the shuttle flying sideways, the shape is caused by artifacts from an out of focus point source of light in the video camera.

[fooman]

Yes, when I public speak(not that I am that great), I DO have something useful to say.

[mikegi]

Perhaps an additional 32 secs of info available on NASA computers after loss of signal.

I don't understand this. How did they get additional data after loss of communication??? Is this from a separate low frequency channel?

[Budge]

video showing the Shuttle flying sideways just before the breakup.

I have seen that video over and over and had just about convinced myself that I was not seeing it fly sideways. Is that what you saw too?

[FReepaholic]

>>...bond-line temperature (where the wing joins the fuselage?) ...<<

I believe that measurement is taken where the Thermal Protection System (tiles) bond with the orbiter surfaces. I could be wrong.

[Don Munn]

Yesterday they only had real time data, since then they have been looking at stopped data. The final process of break out of thousands of sensors will take weeks.

[Poohbah]

No mention of the WFAA video showing the Shuttle flying sideways just before the breakup. I hope some reporter asks.

The shuttle was over 40 miles away from the camera; the camera lens wasn't long enough to get a detailed image at this range. You couldn't establish that it actually was flying sideways.

[snopercod]

Gene Gleason Ch 7 Los Angeles: Anything in orbiter response that would indicate other than tiles?

Dittmore: Well within the ability of the FCS to respond, but "out of family" - we've never seen it before. Not tremendously unusual by itself.

CBS: Possibliity LG door coming off or ET door opening?

Dittmore: loss of a single tile would not result in a loss of vehicle. [Dodged question - don't want to speculate]

All wiring of failed sensors goes through wheel well area.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

I can't watch it but some guy talking was a weeny it sure sounds like sheeeesh R U a rocket scientist?

[Cboldt]

left wing/fuselage bond-line temperature (where the wing joins the fuselage?)

Top of the wing, where it joins the fuselage.

Wheel wells are on the underside of the wing.

Trim adjustments refer to autopilot keeping the craft at the design attitude during re-entry. Trim adjustments indicate more drag on left side (more heat on left side also indicates more drag on left side).

I like that facts are being presented -- wish there were more of them.

[Dog]

Lose of one tile on the wheel well will not cause a problem.....but if several were lost in a grouping when hit by the installion.....

[Braak]

Don't they dog those doors down before flight? I do wonder because it keeps leading back to the wheel well.