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Author Topic: Space shuttle Columbia appears lost Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 02-01-2003 12:18 PM                        Another tragic and sad day in America. My heartfelt sympathy to the families of the heroic seven and to NASA. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 02-01-2003 12:48 PM                     Just watched the news conference in BBC News 24. A sad day; my sympathies to all involved.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 02-01-2003 12:57 PM                        Indeed a sad day. I wonder why they were still using such an old shuttle? Again, this is sad day. NASA is wanting ANY and ALL video anyone has of the reentry.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-01-2003 01:02 PM                     The incident gives me the same stomach twisting feeling of sorrow I felt when the Challenger distaster happened. Radar reports have speculated pieces of the shuttle may have broken away across a field covering parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, much of central Texas and even as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. It appears much of the wreckage came down near Nacogdoches, TX. I'm not sure I understand why officials are saying the parts of the shuttle are "toxic" in their warnings to the public. Is it from radiation exposure in space? At any rate, it is important for every piece of material to be identified along with details about where it was found. With enough information, NASA investigators might be able to piece together what happened and prevent it in the future.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-01-2003 01:07 PM                     It is indeed a sad day. According to the news article I read, there were reports that on January 16, shortly after Columbia took off, a piece of insulating foam on its external fuel tank came off and was believed to have hit the left wing on the shuttle. However, the engineers concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-01-2003 01:09 PM                     The shuttle Columbia was overhauled two years ago and has flown missions since then. Since my theater is still playing Space Station, Apollo 13, Destiny in Space and L5: First City in Space, I threw together these powerpoint slides (2.1 MB) to add to our pre-show slide program.  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 02-01-2003 01:11 PM                     The 'rocket fuel" used is incredibly toxic. I don't know exactly how it works, but if breathed, will coat your lungs and you will suffocate.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-01-2003 01:27 PM                     There is already some speculation that the left wing may have come off....Don't know where news people are getting this exactly, but they have their ways I guess. Although the wing may have come off the craft that still does not say thats what happened. It was also said that NASA normally have telescopes, and long range tracking cameras along its landing route, so some footage explaining what may have actually caused it might be forthcomming. Indeed a very tragic day for the world...Personally I hope they build a replacement for it like they did for Challenger. Joe, age means nothing on an airframe if it is properly maintained. Many Douglas DC-3's are up there flying around right now as I am typing this....they were built and starting flying on Dec 15, 1935! The shuttles were flight certified for 100 flights, this was only the 28th flight for Columbia. Mark  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 02-01-2003 01:28 PM                        We should just build a new shuttle instead of just overhauling older ones. I know shuttles cost more than a Honda Civic, but c'mon. Of course the old shuttle isn't necessarily what caused this to happen. But I still would like to see brand new shuttles. I think it would be an absolute honor to die in the Space Program. So I am proud of the astronauts as well as saddened.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-01-2003 01:34 PM                     Joe, if the external fuel tank lost a chunk of foam insulation which could have hit the shuttle's wing, a new shuttle would have probably suffered the same fate.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-01-2003 01:35 PM                     I can't exactly remember how long they are wanting to keep flying them, I want to say in to the late 2020's sometime. Mark  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-01-2003 01:35 PM                     TIME science correspondent Jeffrey Kluger suggests here that the most likely cause of the structural breakup is aerodynamics. Since the shuttle is basically a glider during re-entry, entry angle is critical in maintaining control of the craft at that speed. The shuttles are designed to be able to fly up to 100 missions each. This was Columbia's 28th mission. There is no external fuel tank on the shuttle once it reaches orbit. At re-entry, there would have been minimal fuel remaining in the tanks for the main engine, with some fuel remaining in the tanks for the maneuvering engines.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-01-2003 01:39 PM                     Adam, with possible wing damage, the aerodynamics are compromised. How bad it would be compromised naturally depends on how severe the damage was. If one of the fuel tank's insulation panels hit the wing, the force of the impact could have caused undetectable internal structure damage of the wing.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-01-2003 01:43 PM                     Damage to the wings may have been caused by flying debris during the launch. Heat shield tiles fly off all the time during launch. The Space Shuttle Human Space Flight page is apparently overloaded this morning, so I have no idea what was involved in this mission and whether or not there was a spacewalk that would have involved the inspection of the shuttle's exterior. I think it was just another delivery to the International Space Station and some research experiments.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 02-01-2003 02:23 PM                     Adam wrote: quote: Since my theater is still playing Space Station, Apollo 13, Destiny in Space and L5: First City in Space, I threw together these powerpoint slides (2.1 MB) to add to our pre-show slide program. The first time I went to the IMAX in Bradford was just after the previous shuttle disaster. At the time they were showing "The Dream is Alive", and before each screening there was a tribute item, presented using a bank of medium format slide projectors in the lower projection room which existed before the re-building.  |  IP: Logged

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