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Im listening to Drudge, watching Dr. Strangelove ,, But that;s not gonna stop me from asking ;-)

Anyone know how fast the shuttle was going 80 seconds after launch? Some folks are having a problem believing it could have damaged anything, I mean it was foam , right?

"Anyone know how fast the shuttle was going 80 seconds after launch? Some folks are having a problem believing it could have damaged anything, I mean it was foam , right?"

Pretty fast. Supersonic at least. Once upon a time I could have rattled that off without checking the book, but now I have trouble remembering my new telephone number.

MaxQ -- the maximum aerodynamic pressure point for launch occurs at T+73 (Go for Throttle-up) This is seven seconds after that. Probably about 2-3K MPH.

It was foam, but I was told it was a big honkin' piece, bigger than any that had come off before. One thing that worries me, although (unlike *some* others on this thread) I have to concede that I am speaking through my posterior oriface on this one -- could there have been ice on the foam?

If damp had seeped through the foam the cryos in the tank could have frozen the moisture. In March through November the Cape is warm enough that the ambient air would quickly melt any ice, but if the temp had been in the 40s or 50s maybe it would not have been hot enough to melt ice between the foam and the surface of the tank. Then, when the insulation ripped off you would have iced foam hitting the wing -- the difference between getting hit with a snowball and an iceball. Again, though, I have no facts, just a feeling. That and a buck will buy you a coke.

I mean it was foam , right?

It was foam...PLUS ICE!!!

That was disclosed by some reporters who had been clued in by a "Whistleblower" on background. In other words, it is NO ACCIDENT that both "happened" in January in bitter cold. Challenger, it was O-Rings.

Columbia it was ICE that formed around the top of the Liquid Hydrogen insulating foam that literally RIPPED the insulating foam off at maximum Acceleration.

Later reports didn't mention the ICE, only foam.

Kinda like the way the "take" on OKC changed over time.