Michoud External Tanks May Hold Clue About Columbia Accident

Nasa, Michoud ^ | 2/4/2003 | Joseph Ranos

[Cold Heat]

Yah, I like and suggested the same idea some time last night, (can't remember)

It could be designed like a Stanley thermos bottle, but the weight would sure be higher, unless a titanium shell would work. You could use vacuum in place of insulation to keep things at temperature.

[Cold Heat]

BTW, these engineers who think a gash was created that was 22cm x 80cm, could be right, but the debris would have had to hit it just right and be launched by the turbulence into the tiles at the right angle.

It could happen and I believe that is what that were saying, a worst case scenario.

But, what was that large object seen coming of the shuttle over Nevada? Some say it was the wheel well door.

Only NASA would know the stresses on the shuttle prior to that point and if it was sufficient for a burn through from the debris damage. It was at over 200 thousand when it broke up. It was much higher over Nevada.

I still am looking for more factors here.

[tubebender]

Some fluke of nature or as yet unknown sequence of events occurred, or the object did something while it was behind the wing that we could not see.

Just asked bonesmccoy if it was possible the "ice" plowed a channel in the underwing tile up to and under the landing gear door ?

[kwyjibo]

Speaking of humidity, does anyone know the answers to these questions?

1. Could the humidity fluctuations have caused any number of shrink/swell cycles in the foam insulation while the ET was in storage, thus weakening the overall strength of the adherance of foam to tank?

2. Does the foam insulation retain moisture? If so, then wouldn't the foam insulation have been frozen solid at the time it broke free from the ET during launch, making it essentially a block of ice with some foam mixed in?

[The Iguana]

Sure, they would have gotten to say goodbye and we would have had a world wide drama and horror played out over multiple days that would have been much more painful. I don't know, if I was faced with the choice of knowing 4 days before I die that I was going to die, or not know, I'd choose not know. Also I think you assume too much that the families would like to have had that extra time. Again, if it was me I wouldn't have wanted that extra time. I couldn't handle the drama and emotion, it'd just make the inevitable worse.

Your choice - but not necessarily everyone else's.

It's their decision - by regulation and by right.

The Mission Commander and the crew deserve the right to at least make that decision.

This is all moot, however. I don't seriously think that NASA had a real clue what had happened or that there was a serious danger.

If they did, and chose to keep it a secret - heads will roll, and rightly so.

[Prospero]

Sonar5, I want to commend you.

You have done work I would love to have had time to do after Saturday.

It would be interesting to have SOMEONE in the Press Corp simply ask whether the age and materials used on 107's ET contributed to the "popcorning" that may have proven eventually fatal to Columbia.

On another issue, I used to watch Dental Labs mill crowns on demand. Perhaps such a mill, based on such technology, could be added to standard equipment to punch out a limited number of critical tile replacements on orbit, using the coding unique to each tile.

But, I think I get it. ET=CAUSE / TILE=AFFECT

Thanks Again...