[CCWoody]

Heck, we are not even interested in the kenetic energy at all. The only thing we would have any interest in would be the energy that is transfered to the tiles that actually caused damage. And I just don't see any way to get there from nothing but the photos. NASA actually has years of data, lots of lab experiments, and bunches of computers to estimate these kind of things. And this is assuming that the impact itself is the root cause.

[bonesmccoy]

The energy of the impact is irrelevant to my comment.

My posting focused on a observation that can be made scientifically. The observation of the color of the plume gives you the ability to discern the contents of the plume.

Direct observation of the plume and understanding what it is defines the incident to a greater extent than making a guess based on the mass of the object (which is currently arguable), the impact angles, and the energy involved.

Do the experiment and you can tell what the plume is.

You could also identify if the RCC is dislodged to an extent that there could be leakage of plasma to the wing glove structures.