Air Force imagery confirms Columbia wing damaged

Spaceflightnow.com ^ | 02/07/03 | CRAIG COVAULT

[snopercod]

Read this first, then we'll talk:

The aft RCS jets maneuver the spacecraft until a dynamic pressure of 10 pounds per square foot is sensed; at this point, the orbiter's ailerons become effective, and the aft RCS roll jets are deactivated. At a dynamic pressure of 20 pounds per square foot, the orbiter's elevators become effective, and the aft RCS pitch jets are deactivated. The orbiter's speed brake is used below Mach 10 to induce a more positive downward elevator trim deflection. At Mach 3.5, the rudder become activated, and the aft RCS yaw jets are deactivated (approximately 45,000 feet).

Entry flight control is maintained with the aerojet DAP, which generates effector and RCS jet commands to control and stabilize the vehicle during its descent from orbit. The aerojet DAP is a three-axis rate command feedback control system that uses commands from guidance in automatic or from the flight crew's RHC in control stick steering. Depending on the type of command and the flight phase, these result in fire commands to the RCS or deflection commands to the aerosurfaces.

In the automatic mode, the orbiter is essentially a missile, and the flight crew monitors the instruments to verify that the vehicle is following the correct trajectory. The onboard computers execute the flight control laws (equations). If the vehicle diverges from the trajectory, the crew can take over at any time by switching to CSS. The orbiter can fly to a landing in the automatic mode (only landing gear extension and braking action on the runway are required by the flight crew). The autoland mode capability of the orbiter is used by the crew usually to a predetermined point in flying around the heading alignment cylinder. In flights to date, the crew has switched to CSS when the orbiter is subsonic. However, autoland provides information to the crew displays during the landing sequence.

[Capitalist Eric]

It's pretty hard to make an effective bullet out of styrofoam, unless it's attached to ice.

Ummm... No. I strongly disagree.

Do you happen to remember seeing a picture taken after a hurricane, where a piece of straw had been picked up by 200+ MPH winds and shot through the middle of a tree trunk???

By your logic, we would have to conclude that straw was fortified with ice, when temperatures (if memory is correct) was in the high 40's-low 50's.

Again, the foam easily could have caused the damage- especially considering the high delta-V, the fragility of the tiles and the hardness (as I understand) of the foam insulation... It is not only possible, but highly likely that this was the primary cause of shield failure...

Unless, like the one tin-foiler guy, you believe somebody shot it down with a rifle... ;-)

Be well.

[bvw]

To blame the loss of a shuttle on using enviro-friendly foam, that's avoiding responsibility. The final decision is to launch -- are all things needed to make the launch safe in place. People try this, try that -- well, if you pour gasoline in your heating oil tank, don't blame Amoco.

To use a reformulation, for any reason besides *increasing* safety in the space shuttle -- is a perverted decision. NASA was stupid, institutionally they are incapable of common sense. That IS the nature of a mature bureaucracy, and exceptions are exceedingly rare. NASA is NOT one.

[Capitalist Eric]

I don't believe that.

fine. believe whatever you like... so... just for the sake of discussion, do you believe it was shot down... or, perhaps, little green men...? Oh, I understand... It was the "New World Order," they sent their black helicopters after it... (((rolling eyes)))

And I don't think NASA believes it either.

Well, the first three words are correct.... After that??? < /sarcasm >

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

I Assume you tweaked your photo, it looks just like MY version! The original was way overexposed and the detail comes out when you reduce it

[jlogajan]

Debunked Here

[jlogajan]

Image

Iris

Superimposed

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Just a point of clarification, the SRBs, boosters, aren't covered with insulation, the ET, external tank, is. The purpose of the insulation is to keep the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cold. Something which isn't required on the SRBs. Also the ET on Columbia was an older design Lightweight tank, ~7,500 pounds heavier than the newer Superlightweight Tank.

[CyberAnt]

You're entitled to your opinion - I just don't agree with you.

[Doomonyou]

I'm the loan tin foiler.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Look here for "Is there a timeline of events?" about 1/3 of the way down in section III.

[freepersup]

Price check on Reynolds wrap tin foil

[Truth29]

Aha! The briefing is at 4:30pm CST. It is just starting now.

[freepersup]

Was that you that I wasted time debating ? Didn't I ask you to explain the smoking debris contrail ? Didn't I ask you to explain the obvious shedding of debris in the video capture ?

[freepersup]

Finally- are you bored ?

[Truth29]

The Kirkland AFB photo shown in the NASA briefing is of poor quality. It is a dark silouhette with no detail and a display that makes edges look ragged over the entire shuttle, not just the left wing.

Comments?

[Jael]

That argument would fly if we didn't have access to previously released information showing that the foam does cause (to quote NASA) "incredible damage".

[DugwayDuke]

" I predict the envirowhackos WILL BE PUT OUT OF BUSINESS."

The environmental wackos will survive. Since you can get a waiver to use freon in critical applications, the wackos will simply blame NASA for not applying for the waiver. In fact, they can claim the moral high ground by pointing out how reasonable they were in allowing this waiver.

BTW, I've applied twice for these waivers and both were approved. Another freeper on another thread indicated that NASA also had a freon waiver.

[Terriergal]

Are they gonna show us the pic referred to? Or am I just blind?

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

The ragged edge could be "pixelation" if they blew the digital image up too far!