Posted on 02/02/2003 6:35:58 PM PST by TLBSHOW
Astronauts doomed from the start
THE seven astronauts on space shuttle Columbia may have been doomed in the first moments after they were shot into space 16 days ago.
NASA officials are investigating whether loose foam from an external tank that struck Columbia's left wing during takeoff contributed to its disintegration under the stress of re-entering the Earth's atmosphere – one of the most dangerous parts of any shuttle mission. The last words between mission control at Houston and shuttle commander Rick Husband gave no clue of impending disaster:
Mission control: "Columbia, Houston, we see your tyre pressure messages and we did not copy your last."
Cdr Husband: "Roger, but . . ." No more was heard.
The homeward-bound space shuttle broke up in flames and trails of smoke and vapour over Texas yesterday, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
The disaster struck 16 minutes before Columbia, the oldest in the shuttle fleet at 22 years, was due to land at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Echoing the tragedy of space shuttle Challenger, which stunned the world 17 years last week, Columbia exploded at an altitude of about 63km as it was travelling 18 times the speed of sound.
The explosion scattered debris and human remains across hundreds of square kilometres in Texas and Louisiana and shook houses in the area around Nacogdoches, Texas.
Police in Hemphill, eastern Texas, said human remains believed to be from the crew of Columbia had been recovered.
"I can confirm human remains from the space shuttle Columbia have been found in the debris," Hemphill police spokeswoman Karen Steele said, declining to elaborate.
A burnt torso and thigh bone were found on a Texan country road while elsewhere a scorched helmet and arm patch from one of the space suits were discovered.
In a televised address to the nation, an emotional President George W. Bush paid homage to the astronauts, saying, "The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to earth but we can pray that they are safely home".
The sparse information NASA had yesterday seemed to point to failures on the craft's left side.
Sensors on the shuttle's left wing and in the left wheel gear detected a sudden temperature increase or failure minutes before the vehicle exploded 63km over Texas as it flew at more than 20,000km/h.
NASA had concluded only two days ago there was no serious damage to the tiles, but was uncertain last night.
"As we look at that now in hindsight we cannot discount that there might be a connection," stunned shuttle manager Ron Dittemore said.
Investigators have all but ruled out terrorism as a cause because the shuttle's high altitude and extreme speed effectively put it out of range of an attack from the ground.
Officials are focusing on the extent of damage sustained during take-off.
Experts said many other malfunctions could have destroyed the shuttle during re-entry, when a cocoon of hot plasma envelops the spacecraft.
Columbia's underside and the leading edges of its wings would have been subjected to some of the highest temperatures during re-entry – up to 1650C – as friction from air rushing by heated its surface, experts said.
During this critical period, computers control the shuttle's angle of descent as it flies with its nose pointed about 40 degrees upward; the slightest deviation from the ideal orientation can expose underprotected parts of the vessel, causing it to burn up.
The shuttle's chief defences against an inferno are about 28,000 heat-resistant tiles attached to its vulnerable aluminium exterior. Experts have worried about the tiles' tendency to break off during flights since the earliest days of experimental test flights.
Relatives of the astronauts – six Americans and an Israeli – watched in horror while waiting at Cape Canaveral's VIP area to welcome their loved ones.
Residents in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama reported hearing the explosion as the shuttle fell apart at more than 18 times the speed of sound.
Bob Molter from Palestine, Texas, said he had seen the shuttle break up in the sky.
"There was a big boom that shook the house for more than a minute, and I went outside because I thought there had been a train accident," he said.
"I looked up and saw the trails of smoke zig-zagging, going across the sky."
Thousand of pieces of debris landed over vast areas of Texas and Louisiana which experts said may take years to find. People were warned not to touch any wreckage because it might be contaminated with toxic propellants.
President George W. Bush rushed to the White House from where he described the disaster in a televised address as a national tragedy.
"The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors," he said, before later ordering all flags be flown at half-mast.
The crew, six of whom were married and five of whom had children, were relatively inexperienced. Only three had flown in space before.
NASA has ruled out human error.
A timeline of events in the last flight of space shuttle Columbia. All times EST.
-- Jan. 16, 10:39 a.m.: Columbia rockets into orbit from Kennedy Space Center.
-- Feb. 1, 8:15 a.m.: Columbia fires braking rockets, streaks toward touchdown.
-- 8:53 a.m.: NASA loses temperature measurements for shuttle's left hydraulic system.
-- 8:58 a.m.: NASA loses measurements from three temperature sensors on shuttle's left side.
-- 8:59 a.m.: NASA loses eight more temperature measures and pressure measures for left inboard and outboard tires. One of the measurements remains visible to crew on a display panel; which crew acknowledges.
-- 8:59 a.m.: Final transmission. Mission Control radios: "Columbia, Houston, we see your tire pressure messages and we did not copy your last." Columbia replies: "Roger, uh, ..."
-- 9 a.m.: NASA loses all data and contact with Columbia at 207,135 feet.
-- 9 a.m.: Residents of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana report hearing "a big bang" and seeing flames in the sky.
-- 9:16 a.m.: Columbia's scheduled landing time.
-- 9:29 a.m.: NASA declares an emergency.
-- 9:44 a.m.: NASA warns residents to stay away from possibly hazardous debris.
-- 11 a.m.: Kennedy Space Center lowers flag to half-staff.
-- 2:05 p.m.: President Bush announces: "Columbia is lost; there are no survivors."
If it was foam, then we have to see if it has the consistancy to damage these ceramic tiles if it is determined that the tiles failed over California. Until I hear otherwise, I'm guessing it was ice because it was white and it sprayed on impact. Was the foam white?
BTW, can you point me to ANY places in California where they are searching for debris?
If my guess is correct, it was only a few tiles that were lost over California. The odds are low of them being found out in the desert mountains.
Texas is bigger and they have been able to locate debris there.
What counties are they looking in in California?
I still see no "tiles falling" in CA, like you and #3 claim. But I'll wait for you guys to search that big state!
That being said, if a few did fall off over California, the catastrophic events wouldn't have happened immediately and since it was traveling so fast, I still think the even happened over Texas.
BTW, I don't trust ANY of the pictures we've seen so far.
I said it was my guess that the astronomer knew what he was talking about when he saw flares off the shuttle. It's my guess that these were tiles falling off. I've made it clear this whole thread that I'm speculating. You don't believe mankind should ever speculate?
99.99 % of the orbiter fell in Texas. Just a few tiles fell in California if I'm right.
What counties are they looking in in California?
What are the odds of finding a few tiles that probably only make up one or two cubic feet put together in the desert mountains. They couldn't even find that fighter jet that crashed in the Rockies a few years ago for a long time.
Where in California are they AT PRESENT searching for debris.
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