>>>But I believe that the damage on launch was extraordinary damage due to the size of the
I agree. The piece of ___Al Gore foam___ insulation that hit the shuttle was about 18 square feet, according to NASA reports.
Looks like it was bad from the start. No point in telling the crew and public if there was no way out. The chance for a safe re-entry was still there.
There was no sure way of knowing how much damage there was, once the shuttle was in orbit. Second guessing is all there is. 20-20 hindsight is much clearer.
snooker
I agree. The piece of ___Al Gore foam___ insulation that hit the shuttle was about 18 square feet, according to NASA reports. Wow, it was a little bigger than I thought. I thought it was about the size of a small person.
Looks like it was bad from the start. No point in telling the crew and public if there was no way out. The chance for a safe re-entry was still there.
Yeah, I agree. It just would've been a death sentence.
There was no sure way of knowing how much damage there was, once the shuttle was in orbit. Second guessing is all there is. 20-20 hindsight is much clearer.
True.