Observation on TPS damage on Orbiter

NASA photos | 2-3-03 | BoneMccoy

[John Jamieson]

7:52 over CA first sensors started failing. Cable runs right in front of wheel well. Sensors keep failing for almost 6 minutes, while wheel well slowly got hotter. Sounds to me like the leading edge C/C was gone very early. The Ft Worth piece could be the other wing or outboard of the start area.

[FreedomCalls]

Each thumbnail on this page references a particluar sensor and gives the exact second when the event happened at the top right of the page. I'll leave it to you to correlate this to the ground track.

[snopercod]

Someone here reported that the tires are inflated with nitrogen.

True. They have a "Tire Lab" in the VAB at KSC where they heat them and freeze them after inflation to wear them in before they install them on the orbiter.

IIRC, they are inflated to 235#. Memory fades...

[freepersup]

Sorry-

Fox TV has a video capture where the camerman zoomed in on the shuttle. The shuttle is sideways (the nose is 90 degrees off the flight path, facing south) I think the cameraman was in Texas, situated on the ground north of the flight path.

The New Mexico image represents the shuttle in flight, with aerodynamic flight control maintained . The Texas image represents the shuttle in flight, without aerodynamic flight control maintained.

So, the New Mexico image shows control, the Texas image shows loss of control.

Someone was trying to get a time down for the NM image. Using the logic of control vs loss of control, if one could determine the time of the Fox video capture by reading it off of the TV screen, then one could estimate by back tracking, to get the time of the image capture over New Mexico.

Was that even the question ?

[FreedomCalls]

"... when the Fox camera captured the shuttle in flight sideways ..."

No such photo exists.

[John Jamieson]

Does it look to you that this picture is interlaced wrong? Every other line swapped?

[XBob]

Someone here reported that the tires are inflated with nitrogen.

I thought I remembered that too, but wasn't sure. It's been a while. I also know there were some tire inflation pressure concerns.

Key question on this could be - if landing gear bays are pressurized? anyone know? seems like they should be, and if so, and they went from 1 atmosphere of pressure to zero atmospheres, (leaky compartment?) would the tires blow up, and thereby perhaps blowing open the door? I don't think so) but they certainly would blow up if exposed to high heat.

[FreedomCalls]

Fox TV has a video capture where the camerman zoomed in on the shuttle. The shuttle is sideways (the nose is 90 degrees off the flight path, facing south) I think the cameraman was in Texas, situated on the ground north of the flight path.

Read this thread -- to the end please. Then read this web page.

[John Jamieson]

No the landing gear well is not sealed or pressurized, as I remember the tires are over 100psi so an extra 15psi in space is no problem.

[John Jamieson]

Make that 340psi!!!!

[error99]

The scale drawing is a bottom view, right?

...and this is a top view, right?

(my apologies in advance, I'm sorry, but I don't know how to make it smaller)

For those who have not seen them - You can click here to see the rest of these slides

Everything seems to line up as you are all describing it.

[XBob]

This image is a view of the underside of Columbia during its entry from mission STS-107 on Feb. 1, 2003, as it passed by the Starfire Optical Range, Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, N. M. The image was taken at approximately 7:57 a.m. CST (1357 GMT).

[John Jamieson]

Notice the sensors on the orange cable are gone and the ones on the green cable are not.

[freepersup]

groan...

I watched a 16 second video capture of the shuttle. Before the zoom in, it appears to be a ball of fire. There is the obvious smoke / debris contrail in the image. The ball of fire is an illusion as it disipates when the camerman zooms in. It was caused by the reflection of sunlight off the shuttle.

While zoomed in, debris shedding is visible (obvious). The zoom in reveals the shuttle, wings level, nose facing south. It is very compelling.

The camera man zooms back out, the image appears to be a ball of fire again, and it is obvious that it is moving at a very high rate of speed. The shuttle is still intact. Disintegration is imminent.

This was broadcast on Fox news TV.

A tin foil theory offered by a FR poster, is that it is just an illusion of an aperture setting.

I know what I saw.

[John Jamieson]

Does it look to you that this picture is interlaced wrong? Every other line swapped?

[error99]

Can I ask you a stupid question?

[XBob]

such a photo (video) does exist, I downloaded it. However, if that is exactly what it depicts, I really can't tell. However, it does appear to show the shuttle moving sideways.

It is very strange.

[John Jamieson]

I bet you can, please try!

[XBob]

very good 99 - there are apparently no sensors right where the insulation hit and none where the wing is missing.

[John Jamieson]

Can Aluminum burn?

>From DOT guide book Guide Number 32 (for aluminum)

Fire or Explosion Hazards
Will burn. May be ignited by heat, sparks and flames.
May burn rapidly with flare burning effect.

Health Hazards
Little immediate health hazard. Contact may cause burns to skin and eyes.
Fire may produce irritating or poisonous gases. Runoff from fire control or
dilution water may cause pollution.

Emergency Action: General
Keep unnecessary people away. Stay upwind; keep out of low areas.
Isolate hazard area and deny entry.
Wear self-contained breathing apparatus and full protective clothing.
Also, in case of water pollution call local authorities.
FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE CALL CHEMTREC (800) 424-9300