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.

[Mo1]

I never rec'd a ping or what ever from Pooh ..

I was just giving you some advice .. you can take it or leave it .. that is your choice

You can accuse these people of things with NO FACTS or you can wait till more information is out

I'll wait to more information is out

[deport]

Unfortunately, your new NASA Administrator has failed to recognize the eminent space shuttle danger and has accepted the consul of the pre-existing NASA shuttle management.

Yep a bunch of 'RETARDS' them people at NASA.... but the TARDShow must go on.....

[iranger]

"Also under the best of conditions it would have taken at least a week to launch a rescue Shuttle and that would have put the other shuttle crew at risk."

They were in space for 16 days. If (big if) they had assertained damage to the wing, they easily had 2 weeks to do something about it.

[anniegetyourgun]

Tread lightly on your hubris. God is not mocked.

[Servant of the Nine]

God Speed as Angels trending upward dare to fly Tribute to the Risk Takers

Did you use a gibberish generator to create that or is it just another example of your "gifts" from God?

You are certainly "differently" gifted.

So9

[jeremiah]

The cause has been tentatively pinpointed, damage to the left wing on lift-off. Obviously mistakes were made that led to the problems occuring. A different tact would have not necessarily brought about a different result, but questions must be raised, and changes must occur. The first shuttle disaster was the result of ignoring the specific warnings of the design engineers re the seals performance during cold temps. The second was likely the result, of ignoring the warnings of maintenance and visible damages, caused by previous tile displacements, and a disregard for the effects of those upon each mission. Remember the pictures of tiles missing, they have been shown many times. It also seems that the move to an environmental friendly insulation, on the platform, that is more likely to shed, and cause damage to the orbiter. I don't have answers, I am not supposed to, but I have many questions. Those of mine and many others, deserve to be vetted, and answered with changes, and much introspection, not sweeping things under the rug, or increasing the budget of NASA.

[TLBSHOW]

He sure isn't MOCKED

BAN PB ABORTION AND ABORTION IN AMERICA

[ResistorSister]

Thank-you. I didn't hear the beginning of the report...so I didn't know what was what.

[P-Marlowe]

ROTFWL. Be serious.

Its too bad you feel that way. I was serious. Deadly serious.

A wing and a prayer is demonstrably better than a wing and no prayer. If you don't believe it, then someday you too will crash and burn.

[FReepaholic]

>>...But that is the very essence of freerepublic...<<

LOL. Jumping to conclusions, yes. But some of these guys are jumping to CONVULSIONS! :-)

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't have answers, I am not supposed to, but I have many questions.

Which is very different from your first post, calling for the the mass firing and possible litigation against the very people who can answer those questions.

It is a little too early to start calling for heads to roll. This is an uncertain business, as anything involving human beings is. Every mistake is not negligence, and every tragedy is not cause to make someone's head roll over it. Sometimes, but these people have put their lives into this project, and they deserve at the very least, benefit of the doubt, not shrill condemnation before the facts, and the better alternatives that could have been known to them, are really known.

I am loyal to people until they are proved undeserving.

[Howlin]

Of course, that would take a logical leap to make that association.

That doesn't factor in here.

[doug from upland]

Great. Now we will hear Hillary again: Bush knew. Bush knew what? My constituents blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[stuartcr]

That too

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Those people at NASA have value too. It gives me a vicious pit in my stomach to hear instant know-it-alls on the news and here who not only think they know better, but are willing to destroy the people who really had their heart in this. We ask these folks for their judgment. We ask them to take these risks, and shame on us if we kick them while they are down. We can learn from this without ruining people, I hope they remember that.

Just as I was reading the first comments on this thread and groaning, I found your post. Thank you for a refreshing, fair, sensible and caring point of view. I could not agree more.

[FReepaholic]

>>...Would it have been possible to lower the orbit of the ISS down to a point where Columbia could have gotten near it?...<<

It's not the altitude, it's the inclination.

The inclination of a satellite is the highest latitude line the satellite passes over during its orbit. For instance, if a satellite stays over the equator, it's inclination is 0 degrees.

The ISS is about 51 degrees (if I'm not mistaken).

It takes a lot of energy to put a shuttle at 51 degrees inclination. Columbia was too heavy for a misson to the ISS. It sure wouldn't be able to reach the ISS once it was in orbit for this mission.

Now, I'm not well versed on orbital mechanics, but I don't think you can change the ISS's orbit without substancial energy either.

[P-Marlowe]

Something could have been done if they knew the ship was seriously damaged. I heard this morning that the Atlantis Shuttle could have been ready for launch on a week's notice. Columbia was up in space doing its mission for longer than that. If they suspected the tiles might cause something like this they should have started preparing the Atlantis for launch the second they suspected there might be a problem.

So, if NASA suspected a problem, they had plenty of time to fix it. Lets just hope that they honestly didn't think there was a problem, otherwise heads will roll.

[Poohbah]

The ISS only has station-keeping thrusters, and is not stressed for any sort of acceleration.

[Poohbah]

I heard this morning that the Atlantis Shuttle could have been ready for launch on a week's notice.

"Anything's easy if you're not the guy doing the work."

[Vigilantcitizen]

"Of course, that would take a logical leap to make that association."

Exactly. We need to look forward, not backward.