4 ways Columbia could have been saved. From NASA's Kennedy Space Center Home Page

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Home Page ^ | 04 February 03 | Mitchel Tighe

[D-fendr]

Unless I'm missing some past history, I think you've been unfairly pounced upon.

You worked hard to look at the abort aspect. There were some good responses to your thesis, but that's why this site functions well.

You shouldn't be slammed for looking into this and passionately presenting it.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Welcome back. Then you understand that we are a ribbing bunch from time to time.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Sometimes, though, it helps to lurk awhile before posting something like this, ESPECIALLY when you consider this same theory/opinion/information has been posted too many times in the past few days already... if he's been here before, he should know that...

People get sick of repeating themselves over and over and over and over and over and over and...

[fatima]

Sure ,I love them both-who are they.We can make it Tennessee_Bob,I sense doubt in your type.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Are you trying to escape from Richard Gere or the FR server?

Just curious.

[Tennessee_Bob]

ARRRGH! Not The Dead Kennedys! My roommate in the barracks used to listen to them while he went to sleep. Unfortunately, we were on the same shift, so I had to listen to them too.

Come to think of it - they never did find his body.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Who are they?

We need to talk, Fatima.

[HairOfTheDog]

This is gonna be a good thread...

It will take snacks to make it really good.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Speaking of Dead Kennedy's, I'm suprised someone on the left hasn't gone bonkers and started screaming how Texas killed JFK and the shuttle astronauts.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Took ya long enough to get here...

[TLBSHOW]

With all the problems nasa has had with the shuttle it should of been grounded.

[Mitchel Tighe]

And I got accused of petty name calling? Really!

Some of you are very good and corrected me. I did not know that the review was done until a day later. Thanks for the news.

One thing I would like to know is if the Freon (now banned)
that they used to spray on the tank was more stable and could have prevented such and incident

On the other hand, some of you are like Diddle and...oh well, never mind.
I'll check out this thread tommorrow after work. There have been some very good replies and even better ideas for improving the NASA program. Thanks again!

[Diddle E. Squat]

Ping your question in #72 to Jael, he has been hot on that topic for awhile.

[El Gato]

Besides the fact, whether you believe it not, that they didn't know from live video that they had a problem and so could not have ordered an abort, only two of the aborts listed, and maybe only one, would have been much if any better than a normal re-entry. The first two, abort to orbit and abort to once around, envolve a more or less normal re-entry, which likely would have ended the same way as the actaul reentry attempt. The abort accross the Atlantic envolves a lower energy reentry and so is the "maybe" option, it still might have been severe enough to cause the breakup. Only the return to lauch site abort would have been viable, except that it is the most difficult one to execute, and the decision has to be made sooner in the mission than for the other three. The Columbia was very heavy, making the RTLS abort more difficult still. If the problem was not a thermal one, but some kind of structural failure, then the RTLS abort might actually have been the worst thing they could have tried.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Thanks for insightfully clearing all that up.

[HairOfTheDog]

Sorry, I got a little mesmorized by the site where I found those gifs!

Consessiondance

[TLBSHOW]

NASA Warned of Shuttle's Vulnerablitiy

from washington times

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SHUTTLE_INVESTIGATION?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME

[TLBSHOW]

I have plenty more.......

[fatima]

Freepmail me Tennessee_Bob,we can practice,Who are you and then Billy Joel with anything ,gosh i am so happy I stayed up.

[Diddle E. Squat]

...thanks, but I'll pass.

You might try some of the North Carolina related threads.