Did NASA know there was a problem? PIC and Excerpts from an Israeli Article

Maariv ^

[yonif]

The left wing of the shuttle picture taken from the window of the shuttle.

Main Issue in the Article

Did Nasa know about this and therefore kept their silence, not telling the astronauts?

-The photo was revealed on Channel 1 of Israel. This pic was taken during an interview the Channel had with the Israeli astronaut.

[Lancey Howard]

So neither of your suggestions are solutions

Yes, they were.

Go back and read the article again, a little slower this time.

Thank you,
LH

[Steve_Seattle]

"wow, looks pretty bad for NASA"

If (1) you accept that this photo is authentic, which is seriously in doubt, and (2) if you assume that there is anything that could have been done about it. Regarding the photo: (1) it does not look like a photo of a shuttle wing; (2) because of the angle, it is extremely doubtful that such a photo could have been taken from within the shuttle; and (3) the "cracks" look fake, like they were drawn in.

[yonif]

From IsraelInsider Israeli Headlines Section http://web.israelinsider.com/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Zone&enDispWho=HebrewPress&enZone=HebrewPress&enInfolet=todayTitles.jsp

maariv

Death Wing

On fifth day of mission, Ilan Ramon spoke with Prime Minister Sharon on videoconference

He showed breathtaking view from space shuttle Columbia's window

On left wing was a clearly visible long crack

11 days later left wing broke off from space shuttle and caused its crash

Even if NASA had known about crack from liftoff, it couldn't have done anything except pray

[Atlas Sneezed]

Maybe the "stovepipe" is an indicator arrow added by the editors.

[Axenolith]

So you think that working 24\7 on a rescue shuttle, or hooking up with the Russians to have them send up a rescue or resupply module, etc... was TOTALLY impossible?

Thats lame thinking, like the thinking that had us jerking off over sending a booster module up to Skylab until its orbit decayed beyond saving (and it would have been possible if the $ were ponied up, even given the unexpected atmospheric expansion from solar activity).

If it turns out that NASA folks knew there was a major FU on launch (which should have been kickoff time for any rescue effort if true) then heads should roll. Finding out they just crossed their fingers will be the preeminant demarcation line between us Americans being ass kickers and name takers ala Apollo 13 and the CYA pansies we're always carping about here... Even if you've only got a 0.01% chance of success, YOU TRY!

[Axenolith]

There's this thing called depressurization that happens when you open a Spacecraft in orbit.

They have suits in there, those helmets aren't just for head protection (granted they aren't EVA suits). You mean to tell me that there are no isolated sections that could be opened to space to retrieve something?

[Axenolith]

The assumption was that there is knowledge of trouble at launch. From there you have 22 give or take 1 or 2 days to work on a solution. You really think we couldn't do it?

Even if it is discovered that there would have been an extremely low probability of success, if the public finds that there was an effort to just cross fingers and pray without making an effort there's going to be hell to pay...

[Tennessee_Bob]

Here's a good shot of the Shuttle Discovery - including a good shot of the leading edge of the left wing:

Contrast with what the newspaper is calling the leading edge of Columbia's left wing:

Here's a more "head-on" shot of Endeavour's left wing:

No stove-pipe - and notice the difference between the newspaper's "leading edge" and the leading edges in the paper - the black tiles wrap around to the top of the edge. The picture in question doesn't show that at all.

The only place that the colonel could have gotten a picture of the left leading edge of the wing would have been from the left hand pilot's seat, or from the side hatch window, neither of which would have allowed the almost head-on view that this picture purports to be.

[Pinch]

Ha. Good observation.

[RightWhale]

the shuttle could have flown to the space station

Is that what somebody is saying?

It's not true. The Space Shuttle didn't have enough delta-vee remaining to rendezvous with the ISS.

[lstanle]

" Could NASA have sent another shuttle to rescue Columbia's five men and two women? In theory, yes. Normally, it takes four months to prepare a shuttle for launch. But in a crisis, shuttle managers say they might be able to put together a launch in less than a week if all testing were thrown out the window and a shuttle were on the pad. Columbia had enough fuel and supplies to remain in orbit until Wednesday, and the astronauts could have scrimped to stay up a few days beyond that. With shuttle Atlantis ready to be moved to its pad, it theoretically could have been rushed into service, and Columbia's astronauts could have climbed aboard in a series of spacewalks. If Atlantis flew with the minimum crew of two, it could have accommodated seven more astronauts."

The article says it was impossible for them to get to the space station, not enough fuel. The article, as shown above, says a shuttle rescue was possible in "theory", however there is no way that NASA would launch a shuttle under the conditions described. They would not throw out all testing and Atlantis was not on the pad. Therefore, neither option is a solution.

[MindBender26]

This BS. If that were the LEFT wing, they it would be the TRAILING edge, not the LEADING edge.

[aruanan]

Did Nasa know about this and therefore kept their silence, not telling the astronauts?

Um hmm. If a camera from a window can take a picture of this then an astronaut looking out the same window could see it too. Nota bene: NASA is an "it," requiring "and, therefore, kept its silence...."

[lstanle]

" Has NASA released any specific information regarding the analysis of the impact caused by the material that hit the wing during takeoff? Eighty seconds into the flight, the shuttle would have been travelling very fast, and even foam insulation might cause a significant impact. And does anyone know what this "foam" is like? Is it rubbery like foam rubber, or more dense, like a plastic?

Several NASA people have talked about this analysis. They reviewed the tape and concluded that the insulation impact with the wing was not a safety concern. It may turn out that their conclusion was wrong.

[Merovingian]

That newspaper is the second largest newspaper in Israel. It is a trusted source of news from Israel

It is destructive/inflammatory, and I wonder what the agenda is here..

[El Gato]

The "Stovepipe" Looks like a UHF/VHF blade antenna to me. You probably couldn't put one on the bottom of the Shuttle, but it would likely be fine on the top. I aggree that the marks look more like scrathes on the window rather than cracks on the exterior surface of the "wing" or whatever that is. The crew looks out the windows whenever they can, they wouldn't have missed something like that. The article says as much.

[Prodigal Daughter]

EEK!

[Howlin]

Let me save you the time of reading this thread: it's fake.

[Prodigal Daughter]

How do you know that?

[Howlin]

The picture was totally torn apart by people on FR last night.