[Atlas Sneezed]

"This plume has a white color. Unfortunately, ET insulation is orange/brown in color."

Good analysis, except that I am doubtful about the certainty of the above. Colored things can look white (and I see redness in the picture) when pulverized and illuminated brightly.

[Cold Heat]

ET insulation is orange/brown in color."

I saw someone in the know from Florida say that it is actually a light tan. The surface gets a bit darker as it sits in the sunlight due to reflected light. This person said the color looks differnt depending on light intensity.

My own experiences say that the colors are in the light tan to chaulky reddish/white range.

[bonesmccoy]

Sorry to disagree. However, review of the KSC PAO mpegs clearly shows a white object tumbling through the FWD ET attachment posts. It's tumbling like a giant pancake of ice through the posts.

To my "uninvolved" eye, it is obvious.

The question is not if it is ice.

The question is whether or not NASA consulted with Boeing's shuttle TPS engineers.