[snopercod]

If anybody wants to calculate the hypothetical impact velocity of the urine-cicle, here are the numbers:

GIVEN:

1. The thrust of the two OMS engines is 12,000 lbs.

2. The mass of the Columbia at TIG [Time of IGnition] was ??? (No smart-a$$ answers about it being weightless)

3. The size of the urine-cicle was probably a cone with a base diameter of 12" and a height of 30", or a sphere with a diameter of 12".

4. The distance from the urine dump port to the glove area of the wing was approximately z=(1000-625) = 325 inches = 27ft.

[r9etb]

The shuttle mass was about 108,000 kg, and the thrust was ~53380 N. The acceleration was thus about 0.5 m/sec².

The distance was about 9 meters, and it would take about 6 seconds for impact to occur, with a velocity of about 3 m/sec.

(I used my handy dandy orbit integrator to validate the result.)

If we assume a sphere of the dimensions you cite, the mass of the ball would be about 15 kg.

That's pretty heavy, and a sharp edge could have damaged the Shuttle even at the low relative velocity.