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i think i held my breath for the entire last 15 minutes
of the landing... It's a wonder I did not pass out!
posted by
homegirl
on August 10, 2005 at 9:17 AM
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The report
http://anon.nasa-global.speedera.net/anon.nasa-global/CAIB/CAIB_lowres_chapter3.pdf
High-temperature, high-altitude environment due to dynamic forces.
Read the section about the bipod ramp fabrication.
posted by
majroj
on August 9, 2005 at 9:43 PM
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I meant "wreckage". (oops)
posted by
majroj
on August 9, 2005 at 8:36 PM
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IF it is CFC free foam and that is a problem...then maybe.
The Columbia made it a long way down before breaking up from aerodynamc stress (i.e., the wing broke up, the vehicle spun, and it will not endure such pressures and shears, so the "wind" blew it apart). The wing was torched through, but the remainder of the reckage seems to be astoundingly free of the burning we would expect of re-entering materials.
The "Space Shuttle" (or, as the USAF designates it, the OV-100 series) is nearly a quarter century old; a quarter century before it first flew, jet airliners were finally challenging the big prop jobs on the main routes, and Eisenhower was in office. Too many parts, time for some state of the art reliability and simplification.
posted by
majroj
on August 9, 2005 at 8:36 PM
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