BREAKING: NBC News finds Jan 30 NASA Memo showing serious concern about tile damage!

NBC News | February 3, 2003 | Jay Barbree

[Chad Fairbanks]

Guess what, if someone at NASA screwed up, they should be replaced. Isn't that what a Conservative would say? Your pretzel logic reminds me of the Klinton Koolaid drinkers.

I'm all in agreement that if someone screwed up, they should face the music... no pretzal logic here... only difference between me and you appears to be that I'm willing to wait for facts, rather than mere speculation...

[VRWC For Truth]

There seems to be reliable evidence that small things (that could have been on fire) were beginning to fall from Columbia over the California skies.

No doubt damaged shuttle tiles.

[Chad Fairbanks]

No doubt damaged shuttle tiles

No doubt, since tiles ALWAYS fall off during re-entry... ALWAYS. It's considered NORMAL.

Finally, you posted a fact. Wow.

[Howlin]

Well, you did say it was on fire.........now since they all come in at 3000 degrees, why aren't they ALL on fire?

This is about six times I've asked you, so if you don't answer me this time, I'll assume you were just BS as usual.

[VRWC For Truth]

Facts from NASA? :rolleyes: It took them 4 hrs to release a statement that there was and I quote a "mishap". Freepers figured it out after 15 minutes that it was gone.

[Howlin]

Would you like your crow marinated?

Ah, now you're changing the parameters. He said it was ON FIRE..........ON FIRE is what he said. Not "small things."

Besides, none of that has been proven.

And we all know tiles fall off EVERY shuttle flight.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Facts from NASA? :rolleyes: It took them 4 hrs to release a statement that there was and I quote a "mishap". Freepers figured it out after 15 minutes that it was gone.

Geez... it took them 4 whole hours??? I can't believe they were so inconsiderate as to leave you waiting like that...

perhaps they needed time to notify next-of-kin, possibly to implement emergency procedures, and to do hundreds of other things that needed doing that were FAR more important than to let everyone know IMMEDIATELY that there was a mishap...

I mean, come on man, use your head - they obviously had priorities, and quite frankly I'd be MORE bothered if they started press conferences while the debris was still falling...

[VRWC For Truth]

No doubt, since tiles ALWAYS fall off during re-entry... ALWAYS. It's considered NORMAL.

What's NORMAL this time? Was it just luck that there were 42 YEARS of flawless re-entry? This is not some big unknown. Approach the atmosphere at the correct angle and protect the vehicle from excessive heat. A former astronaut even said that re-entry is very peaceful and not violent like portrayed in the movies. The facts are on my side.

[Chad Fairbanks]

What's NORMAL this time? Was it just luck that there were 42 YEARS of flawless re-entry? This is not some big unknown. Approach the atmosphere at the correct angle and protect the vehicle from excessive heat. A former astronaut even said that re-entry is very peaceful and not violent like portrayed in the movies. The facts are on my side.

Yes, actually, it WAS luck... we've had failures during launch, failures while in space, and now we have a failure during re-entry... just because something never went wrong before doesn't mean it never will...

Secondly, I'd like to state that we have NOT had 42 years of successful re-entry with space shuttles - in fact, this particular re-entry was with the heaviest load ever - never before have we attempted re-entry with a load as heavy as was attempted the other day...

"Facts" may be on your side... "Reality" is on mine...

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I'll assume you were just BS as usual.

Hence his screenname. TLBSHOW stands for The Lotta BS He Overdoses (us) With.

[VRWC For Truth]

never before have we attempted re-entry with a load as heavy as was attempted the other day...

So I suppose this load was never calculated as to its affect on re-entry. It was just some miscalculation or non-calculation. Please, this would be worse than failing to protect the tiles on liftoff.

[Chad Fairbanks]

So I suppose this load was never calculated as to its affect on re-entry. It was just some miscalculation or non-calculation. Please, this would be worse than failing to protect the tiles on liftoff.

It could have been calculated correctly, but since it had never been done before, who's to say that the shuttle could handle it? There are always risks inherent in doing something for the first time, no matter how good the math is...

[VRWC For Truth]

There are always risks inherent in doing something for the first time, no matter how good the math is...

I guess 42 years of experience, all the X-vehicle data, and those all those computer simulations were just a waste of time. :rolleyes:

[Chad Fairbanks]

Not a waste of time, no, but in the pursuit of knowledge, sometimes things go wrong no matter what you do, or don't do. Doens't mean the fault lies with any one person... Our knowledge IS still VERY limited, when taken in the grand scheme of things. To say that we have perfected something is to be arrogant and wrong...

[Axenolith]

You see, the level of "CYA shenanigans" is directly proportional to the amount of Monday-morning quarterbacking that we see in the aftermath of any event like this.

That sounds neat in print but it doesn't really work that way. Having neatly avoided becoming the sacrificial goat myself on the final phase of a 100 million dollar Superfund Job I can tell you that a good CYA is a sight to behold. In theory it allows ones immediate superior or higher to:
a) take credit for good stuff you do and;
b) make it look like you were responsible for the bad.

Keeping really good notes and records, even if you have to keep said superiors from seeing or knowing of them, is a must to fend it off.

The masses Monday morning QB'ing is irrelevant.

We'll see how this unfolds...

[Chad Fairbanks]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/835422/posts

[JudyB1938]

The shuck and jive ratty rat, slam weeper bit you do, that turns every thread you enter into a dialogue about you is amazing. I have seen you actually write full and complete paragraphs when you choose to do so, so I know it is (mostly) an act geared towards getting you attention.

You've noticed that, too. I've often wondered if there's one or more posters using the same screen name. Or perhaps, TBL is a skitzo with multiple personalities. It is a puzzlement.

[anniegetyourgun]

I don't recall if your commentary on this entire Columbia affair was something I saw on this thread or another one. Don't have time to find it again. While I'm waiting to see all their investigation brings forward, I'm beginning to think you are the only one who has it right.

[KantianBurke]

My original proposal was predicated on the problem being dealt with within the 48 hours of Columbia's launch. Atlantis would have begun to be prepped within 4 days of the launch and would have reached the Columbia well within her air limits.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

My original proposal was predicated on the problem being dealt with within the 48 hours of Columbia's launch.

Well, 48 hours would at least give you time to bake an apple pie to send with the crew of Atlantis. Then at least we'd have "pie in the sky"...

along with nine dead astronauts and two lost shuttles.