[No Truce With Kings]

"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.

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks.

This is not a minor event in my mind.

To all those of you picking on the software and sabotage angle or someone was tampering with controls remotely thru telemetry channels, I'm not buying it.

But, as I am all too often prone to say, Time will tell.

[Resolute]

Some folks are having a problem believing it could have damaged anything, I mean it was foam , right?

Here's a link to a NASA report that acknowledges that insulation probably damaged thermal times during ascent for STS-87:

. . . significant damage to the tiles (STS-87) . . .

[hole_n_one]

You've completely captivated me with your intelligent, articulate and insightful posts.