[colorado tanker]

is there a news or NASA source on it?

OK, I'll confess. The source is NPR, which said the issue came up in a recent NASA press conference. When asked about possible damage to the wheel well cover, the NASA guy responded to the effect that "you and I are thinking along similar lines" but he didn't want to zero in on one theory this early which might prejudice his evaluation of other evidence. I rarely listen to NPR, but their coverage of this has been pretty good.

[r9etb]

Thanks for the info. It's good to know that I'm not the only one speculating along those lines. I seem to recall a training class back when I first started working Shuttle that talked about how vulnerable those doors were to seal damage.