BREAKING: NBC News finds Jan 30 NASA Memo showing serious concern about tile damage!

NBC News | February 3, 2003 | Jay Barbree

[Timesink]

Developing. Watch MSNBC for latest. Internal memo shows some engineers believe there was up to a 7 1/2-inch gash from the foam breakoff at launch. Memo was serious enough to go out to all NASA centers two days before disaster.

[Howlin]

OMG......OMG.......ROFLMAO.

I knew it! I knew it! Jim and John have wired FR into an insane asylum!

[Dianna]

The total length on orbit would probably only need to be a few days. Columbia might then be placed in a higher orbit for later repairs.

Ok, fine! I give up. NASA WANTED THOSE ASTRONAUTS TO DIE! They just didn't give a shit, had tickets to a ballgame or something, and decided that those 7 people were expendable. Is that what you want to hear?

Heaven forbid something happens to someone you care about. I can't wait to be in your face demanding to know why you didn't simply take your wife in for 87 brain scans when you heard she had a headache. HOW DARE YOU be so negligent!

[PBRSTREETGANG]

It's my gift from God! Now don't blow that up to mean something else, but like Rush I am here on loan! LOL

Really.......it's just my gift.

Did you keep the receipt?
You may want to return that gift, it's defective.

[Dave S]

US highway 40 and Interstate 64 are the same road through St. Louis. It was Highway 40 LONG before it was I-64, too. Interstate 40 doesn't come near here

Oopps! It's clear I shouldnt be making any course corrections either here on earth or up in space. I'm map challenged. Thanks.

[jeremiah]

Of course they deserve to be questioned and "picked upon by vultures" as you call them. There was another shuttle disaster, and do can you tell me what changes were made? How many of those in command were fired? Demoted? Given reprimands? I believe the answer is none. They threw more noney at the problem, and now have killed another crew. What was the reaction of NASA, when Apollo 13 was in trouble? I don't believe they spouted off that there was nothing that could be done, they got the best minds on the job, worked out a solution, and saved lives. They had 16 days to attempt to solve this problem, presumably they discounted the danger, and rolled the dice so to speak. They deserve much worse than criticism, they deserve to be grilled and if found culpable, fired without compensation. Beyond that, civil liablility wouldn't seem to be out of the question.

[mhking]

We have four interstates that merge at that bridge (I-70, I-40, I-44, and I-55)I think 40 disappears in Illinois and becomes I-64 heading to Kentucky or Tennesee.

Not to nitpick, but I-40 is a couple-hundred miles south of St. Louis, and runs through Arkansas and Tennessee; it does not enter Illinois or Missouri. US 40 parallels I-70 in the St. Louis area, as it does for much of it's run all the way out to the east coast.

The four interstates in downtown STL are I-44 (goes southwestward toward Tulsa & Oklahoma City - where it intersects I-40), I-70 (eastward with US 40 to Indianapolis and points east; Kansas City & points west), I-55 (north to Chicago; south to New Orleans), and I-64 (it ends west of St. Louis along US 40 prior to an intersection with I-70; it runs eastward to Louisville and eventually Norfolk).

Missouri Interstate highway list

[mhking]

[TomServo]

I guess you could say I got zapped but it wasn't at a young age.

To borrow a line from 'Real Genius',

"Up the voltage."

[jeremiah]

They were in space for 16 days, how many more days they could have remained in orbit, is a question for others. If we cannot send a rescue mission for citizens of ours stranded in space, within 20 days or so, we have no business sending them at all. They were warned about the first shuttle to blow up beforehand, and launched. They were aware of the possibility of tiles damaged shortly after orbit on this mission, and went ahead with re-entry without an attempt at a change of approach(so it seems).

[LPStar]

Moreover, if so, what empirical evidence has been presented that supports this allegation (as I've seen nor heard nothing that would indicate that there was knowledge of a problem prior to the flight)?

My first post on this topic. Freely admit I'm not fully informed. Nevertheless, I have a problem with the fact that there was no backup plan for safe landing if a problem occurred with the shuttle at any point prior to re-entry. The situation right now appears to be that if the tile situation had been properly analyzed, it would have been clear from Day 1 that there was no way to get the seven back alive. How can there be a safe system with no redundancies built in? Maybe it's best they had several happy days before their sadly predetermined end.

[jeremiah]

#! If they knew beforehand, and said nothing to the crew, it was wrong

#2 If they knew, and informed the crew, we would have known, because the crew would have informed their families.

#3There were options, there are always options with a 16+ day time to come up with them

#4They were warned of problems before launch, have had these problems pop up before, and it is related to environmental concerns with the material used for insulation.

[Poohbah]

I wonder how many people get lost at that interchange? :o)

[mhking]

I wonder how many people get lost at that interchange?

Probably lots...[g]

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

So what are you implying? Be explicit

Less qualified contractors do lower quality work?

[Desdemona]

I wonder how many people get lost at that interchange?

Don't even joke about it. The traffic reports from 5:30am on are unreal. I-70 is going to get its own bridge on the north side of the arch. Life will be so be better when that happens - and I live in Missouri.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Oh boy.

I wonder if it would have been possible to send another shuttle to pick up the crew if the damage was consiodered to be severe enough to scub the return of Columbia. Then perhaps even to repair the wing in space.

[Miss Marple]

Don Nelson, of the famous TBLSHOW memo, is on Fox now, and is saying that once committed to orbit, THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE. He also says he thinks NASA followed correct procedure, as insulation has come off before and has not caused any problems.

[HairOfTheDog]

There was another shuttle disaster, and do can you tell me what changes were made?

Can you? Can you tell me how the two wrecks are related?

How many of those in command were fired? Demoted? Given reprimands? I believe the answer is none.

I don't know.... But I don't destroy people I don't know, over issues and motives I don't know. Do you?

What was the reaction of NASA, when Apollo 13 was in trouble?

They did one hell of a job, their gamble worked.

They had 16 days to attempt to solve this problem, presumably they discounted the danger, and rolled the dice so to speak.

You would presume they didn't give a damn. I know that they told us they discussed it at length, and came to a determination about what they should do.

They deserve much worse than criticism, they deserve to be grilled and if found culpable, fired without compensation. Beyond that, civil liablility wouldn't seem to be out of the question.

Really? - You already know not only the cause, but the culpable people that should be fried for it? - You are good. These so called experts have just barely started looking at the problem. And all they had to do was ask you.... Silly experts.....

[Fred Mertz]

Is correct procedure to keep the crew in the dark?

[Howlin]

Well, I'm sure that won't get in the way of the agenda.