Very close-up, slo-mo of the Columbia launch debris.

Florida Today ^ | 02/01/03

[FR_addict]

"The Institute has completed a multi-year research effort to develop a computational fracture mechanics capability for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The theory and appropriate algorithms were developed and implemented into an advanced computer program that calculates whether or not a crack will propagate, and, if it does propagate, the direction and speed of propagation"

Your link is interesting, but they seem to avoid answering the question raised -- how likely is it that a crack will form.

[XBob]

34 - "The accident investigation will conclude that the probably cause is tile loss secondary to impact of ice or insulation, whatever it was. Question is, with film of the launch like this available, why didn't they do a walk to check the condition of the wing? Answer: wishful thinking on the part of mission control folks.

They would have had two weeks plus to mount a rescue mission of some sort. Obviously, lots of work to be done to plug the safety holes in our Space Transportation System."

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I agree, or at least use our 'fancy' telescopes to check the condition of the tiles.

Were they equipped to do space walks? Did they do them? I don't know.

[Humidston]

I was looking at this thread, (not having paid too much attention to the title), and my whole computer crashes!

Took me 10 min to relocate it so I can watch the video again....!

Thanks, btw. Good catch. I'd been hearing about that insulation bump all day but saw nothing this good till now!

[XBob]

38 - "There seem to have been so many tile-related incidents with regard to the shuttles. Is the tech there now to replace tiling with, for example, a seamless covering for the entire vehicle, or am I straying into the realm of science-fiction?"

Not that I know of. I think you would have to repeal a few laws of physics and thermodynamics. (expansion and contraction) at different rates, and the 'gap filler' between the tiles.

If you remember, the one and only flight of the Russian 'shuttle', that was the reason why. It seems to me that the interior temperature got up to about 700 degrees or so because their thermal protection system didn't work properly.

[Humidston]

As I recall, someone on TV said they "could" do space walks, but weren't equipped to do so on this flight - or it wasn't on their schedule - something like that.

In short, no.

[Light Speed]

I think that this happened, and the tile was lost and the remaining tiles started to delaminate, and a hole burned into the wing...which would explain why they lost sensor data from the left wing.

Maybe....Shards of ice and debrie have impacted shuttles leading edges repeatedly in the past...shuttles return with missing tiles..impact damage from space debrie and cosmic whatever all the time...do a run on the net..the data is there.

Info on STS 107 from SpaceRef.com

STS-107 Launch of Space Shuttle Columbia for Spacehab NASA, SPACEHAB, and members of the STARS Academy have been preparing for the STS-107 mission for over two years. Scheduled for launch on July 19, 2002, this research mission of sixteen days is sure to be an exciting event. With the debut of SPACEHAB’s Research Double Module on this flight, over 100 experiments are expected to take place onboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia. The flight inclination for this mission is 39 degrees and the flight altitude is 150 nautical miles. This mission will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida from launch pad 39B. Seven talented astronauts will be flying this critical research mission. They include Mission Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William "Willie" McCool, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist 1 Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2 David Brown, Mission Specialist 3 Laurel Clark, and Payload Specialist 1 Ilan Ramon. For the STARS Academy locker, Anderson, Chawla, and Ramon are the assigned crew. As the 111th shuttle mission and Columbia’s 28th flight, this shuttle just celebrated the 20th anniversary of its maiden voyage. Columbia returned to service, fresh from a year and a half of maintenance and upgrades that have made it better than ever. More than 100 modifications and improvements have been made to make Columbia ready for flight on STS-107. Highlights include a “glass cockpit” with nine full-color, flat-panel displays, reduced power needs, old wire removal, and a user-friendly interface.

Columbia's launch for July was scrubbed:****

June 24, 2002 Ed Campion Headquarters, Washington (Phone: 202/358-1694) James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston (Phone: 281/483-5111) Bruce Buckingham Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (Phone: 321/867-2468) Release: #H02-117 NASA MANAGERS DELAY STS-107 LAUNCH NASA managers today temporarily suspended launch preparations for Space Shuttle Columbia until they have a better understanding of several small cracks found in metal liners used to direct the flow inside main propulsion-system propellant lines on other orbiters in the fleet. Columbia's launch on STS-107, previously planned for July 19, will be delayed a few weeks to allow inspections of its flow liners as part of an intensive analysis that is under way. Recent inspections of Space Shuttle Atlantis and Space Shuttle Discovery found cracks, measuring one-tenth to three-tenths of an inch, in one flow liner on each of those vehicles. Some of the cracks were not identifiable using standard visual inspections and were only discovered using more intensive inspection techniques. "These cracks may pose a safety concern and we have teams at work investigating all aspects of the situation," said Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore. "This is a very complex issue and it is early in the analysis. Right now there are more questions than answers. Our immediate interests are to inspect the hardware to identify cracks that exist, understand what has caused them and quantify the risk. I am confident the team will fully resolve this issue, but it may take some time. Until we have a better understanding, we will not move forward with the launch of STS-107." The impact of the investigation on other upcoming space shuttle launches has not been determined.

So...Columbia see's a complex re-fit...how many systems and alterations....what percentage of errors could occur from that...plus the known cracks in the flow liners.

Data is available on the net as to shuttles returning with missing tiles....with numerous impact damage from man made space debrie....and cosmic strike.

Yes...a burn thru or blowtorch effect could have occured..yes certainly.
But it could be something else...something in all that re-fit and weld repair.

[XBob]

yes, many thanks Prov1322

[isthisnickcool]

There seem to have been so many tile-related incidents with regard to the shuttles. Is the tech there now to replace tiling with, for example, a seamless covering for the entire vehicle, or am I straying into the realm of science-fiction?

They should have made the shuttle out of titanium like I understand the original plans called for. If some estimates about what failed today are correct having titanium in lieu of aluminum would certainly have been a major plus if the failure was caused by heat spiking into the hull.

Overall, technology has really moved along since the shuttles were built. So, maybe it's time for looking at a whole new vehicle. Which is no big deal if money isn't either.

[HighWheeler]

I saw that Dog, it was charred up, sitting upright, but looked completely intact without the face shield, and far less damaged than I would have thought.

The interesting thing was that about 15 minutes before, some babe on FOX said their was a report of a thigh bone and skull that was found. My guess is that the info on the helmet find was magically turned into a skull after being transmitted a couple of times by the urinalists.

[hole_n_one]

A video image of a helmet that dropped into a yard in Norwood Community, Texas from the space shuttle Columbia is seen February 1, 2002. Many parts of the shuttle along with human remains were found in the area. NASA (news - web sites) officials later removed the helmet. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

[XBob]

46 - "Maybe....Shards of ice and debrie have impacted shuttles leading edges repeatedly in the past...shuttles return with missing tiles..impact damage from space debrie and cosmic whatever all the time...do a run on the net..the data is there."

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Believe me, not all of it is. I know. Personally. We have been very 'lucky' numbers of 'unpublished/classified' times.

[glock rocks]

oh my. oh my.

[Humidston]

Aluminum????? I had no idea. Aluminum MELTS, for heaven's sake!

[Enlightiator]

Good post! I did some searching, and I was very suprised to find that signficant tile damage had been found on Columbia on shuttle flight STS-87 which took off on Nov. 17, 1997 and landed Dec. 5, 1997. This damage was attributed to external tank foam separation in an article by a NASA engineer:

"It was determined that during the ascent, the foam separation from the external tank was carried by the aerodynamic flow and pelted the nose of the orbiter and cascaded aft from that point. Once again, this foam was carried in a relative air-stream between MACH 2 and MACH 4!"

Reading the article further, I was then really astounded when I read this:

"POSSIBILITY 3
The STS-86 mission revealed a similar damage pattern but to a much lesser degree than STS-87. The STS-86 tile damage was accepted ruled as an unexplained anomaly because it was a night launch and did not provide the opportunity for the photographic evidence the STS-87 mission did. A review of the records of the STS-86 records revealed that a change to the type of foam was used on the external tank. This event is significant because the pattern of damage on this flight was similar to STS-87 but to a much lesser degree. The reason for the change in the type of foam is due to the desire of NASA to use "environmentally friendly" materials in the space program. Freon was used in the production of the previous foam. This method was eliminated in favor of foam that did not require freon for its production. MSFC is investigating the consideration that some characteristics of the new foam may not be known for the ascent environment."

Read the whole article, by Greg Katnik, a mechanical systems engineer at the Kennedy Space Center, here:

WORKING ON A TILE DAMAGE MYSTERY

[JennysCool]

Thanks. A new vehicle design does seem warranted -- and I'm sure there are a raft of aerospace engineers out there who can do a terrific job with it.

[CharacterCounts]

The reason for the change in the type of foam is due to the desire of NASA to use "environmentally friendly" materials in the space program. Freon was used in the production of the previous foam.

I hope this event didn't happen just so NASA could be politically correct.

[TXBubba]

I saw the press conference out of Houston this afternoon. A reporter asked if they checked the tiles. The response was that they are unable to go over the side of the cargo bay and look at the bottom of the shuttle. He (??) said they did not have "the arm" on this mission. But even if they had there is no way to look at the bottom of the shuttle. He said they only had the ability to do some emergency responses to close cargo doors if needed etc. Hope that helps.

[Humidston]

The reason for the change in the type of foam is due to the desire of NASA to use "environmentally friendly" materials in the space program.

I think I'm going to be ill....

[poindexter]

Or maybe some of that "puff" was pulverized tile. The stuff is not that strong mechanically.

[Humidston]

Thanks. I wish we had someone familiar with the program who could explain some of these questions. The way it's shaking out, it would appear to me that some corners may have been cut. Very disturbing.