Skip to comments.
Shuttle Doomed at Takeoff (Astronauts doomed from the start)
abc news ^
| 4/18/2003
| Lisa Stark and Gina Treadgold
Posted on 04/18/2003 6:01:28 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
click here to read article
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-49 next last
To: Stars N Stripes
"
Going into space is dangerous..." Going into space for the sake of being the justification for one of human history's most massive jobs program is.
That is -- going into space with maximized expense is very very dangerous.
Cheaper is safer. Much cheaper -- very safe.
But then we wouldn't have the congresscritter franchised techno-socialist government-enforced massive wealth transfers and cushy lifetime high G level jobs for the pensionaire class.
And less fancy, grand and overindulgent national mourning galas for dead "heros".
21
posted on
04/18/2003 7:42:53 PM PDT
by
bvw
To: TLBSHOW
I think the result of this tragedy we'll see the following happen:
1. Lockheed Martin will go back to the older, more durable foam insulation material for the external tank.
2. There will now be very strict procedures on launch commit based on weather conditions.
3. It's likely the protective tiles will be replaced by new ones that use newer-technology materials that are less susceptible to foreign-object damage (FOD). NASA had been studying switching to the newer-material tiles but never got the funding to actually implement it originally.
4. There will be lots of very strict safety procedures added in place to make sure the new tiles are in proper shape and the external tank insulation is also in proper shape before liftoff.
To: RayChuang88
If that happens we will lose the rest of the shuttes, crews and next time not be so lucky for population groundwards.
23
posted on
04/18/2003 7:51:29 PM PDT
by
bvw
To: konaice
"If they had been paying attention to the data they could
have aborted to Rota, Spain before even getting to orbit."
Incredibly stupid comment IMHO. The decision to abort would only be made if an obvious catastrophic event was taking place, as an abort is serious sh_t in itself. The fact that it took two days and ultra slow motion cameras to pin point a POSSIBLE cause is proof enough that it was impossible to make that call as it happened.
To: TLBSHOW
I don't agree that they couldn't have done anything. At the very least, they could have jettisoned the space lab to lighten the shuttle and they could have tried a different approach angle, one that may not have resulted in the shuttle being landable but one that may have gotten the crew low enough to try to bail out. There were other possibilities including trying to get another shuttle up there or trying to do something with a Russian rocket. Any chance is better than no chance. If nothing else, it would have given the crew time to say goodbye to their families and friends. So, no, I don't find "We couldn't have done anything, anyway..." very satisfying.
To: dinok
Either way...the process is flawed.
No back up...Precisely.
To: RayChuang88
3. It's likely the protective tiles will be replaced by new ones Ahhh ... this was not a failure of the tiles this time ...
27
posted on
04/18/2003 8:15:31 PM PDT
by
_Jim
(w)
Comment #28 Removed by Moderator
To: Lancey Howard
No back up... Precisely.
Welcome to manned prototypes ...
29
posted on
04/18/2003 8:16:45 PM PDT
by
_Jim
(w)
To: konaice
They had data, but did not bother to watch it or (apparently) even trasmit it to ground or cockpit. It appears this was data that was considered to be of secondary value - valuable to a select few engineers/analysts after the flight but considered to be non-essential for normal flight.
It sounds like a bunch of sensor data was processed in a very basic form and simply 'laid onto magnetic tape' - there are special 'data recorders' that will take simple voltage data from, say, a 'thermistor' (used as a simple temperature sensor) or strain guage and simply record it for later review ...
30
posted on
04/18/2003 8:23:44 PM PDT
by
_Jim
(w)
To: Razzz
Still trying to figure out what we gain from space travelManned prototypes - man is more adaptable (like fixing the formerly hobbled Hubble telescope) than 'dumb' machines simply fired into space ... otherwise - beats me.
31
posted on
04/18/2003 8:25:50 PM PDT
by
_Jim
(w)
To: TLBSHOW
Sad ping. You kinda hate to be right about something so horrible.
32
posted on
04/18/2003 8:27:55 PM PDT
by
Jael
(Ye must be born again)
To: B-Chan
These are not models, mockups, or non-flying prototypes. That is a real spaceship sitting on the tarmac there. What looks like a common housefly sure looks awfully big in that one corner ...
33
posted on
04/18/2003 8:30:23 PM PDT
by
_Jim
(w)
Comment #34 Removed by Moderator
To: brityank
Ping...
To: B-Chan
Is Rutan one of the designers? If John Denver could see this...
To: RedBloodedAmerican
OkAY, but they didn't launch with that split second contingency in the plan so it was not a practical option. I'll stand by my previous comment.
To: RedBloodedAmerican
Geez, I thought you were serious until the woodpecker comment.
To: Razzz
Still trying to figure out what we gain from owning Louisiana, let alone a transcontinental railroad. If military advantages are gained then let the military run it.
The motivation is the innate human need to explore. The gain is the expansion of the human habitat. The most important by-product is inspiration. The payoff will be when human beings are living permanently in space -- because at that point our species' eggs will no longer all be in one basket.
Our country has faced the Last Frontier before. They called it "Seward's Folly". No one knew that Alaska was sitting on a sea of oil...
39
posted on
04/18/2003 10:39:18 PM PDT
by
B-Chan
(Catholic and Monarchist)
Comment #40 Removed by Moderator
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-49 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson