Cosmic 'Bolt from Blue' Probed in Space Shuttle Disaster !

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 2/7/2003 | Sabin Russell

[ex-Texan]

Federal scientists are looking for evidence that a bolt of electricity in the upper atmosphere might have doomed the space shuttle Columbia as it streaked over California, The Chronicle has learned.

Investigators are combing records from a network of ultra-sensitive instruments that might have detected a faint thunderclap in the upper atmosphere at the same time a photograph taken by a San Francisco astronomer appears to show a purplish bolt of lightning striking the shuttle.

[kwyjibo]

This is gross incompetence by NASA. They are dismissing the most obvious suspect out of hand, on speculation alone, without the substantiation to do so. That, in the jargon, is throwing it away. There is also strong motivation by NASA management to have the root cause be an act of God and not the foam.

Nobody's DISMISSING anything. I haven't heard anyone from NASA completely rule out the "impact" to the wing during launch as a cause of the breakup of the shuttle. All I've heard is that "it does not make sense to us" that this would be the only cause. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but when the engineering calculations suggest to look elsewhere, then the only responsible course of action is to seek other causes. At least until the investigators get the OK to fire a bowling ball at the wing of one of the other shuttles to observe the damage that MAY HAVE resulted from the impact.

And to say that NASA's statements expressing doubt about the foam insulation being the cause of the disaster are based on "speculation" is ludicrous. One could just as easily argue that it is highly speculative to include the foam insulation among possible causes.

[jlogajan]

That, in the jargon, is throwing it away.

Okay, you've weaselled out of words having any sort of meaning with good old Clinton parsing tactics.

In fact, no possibility has been ruled out by NASA. So you are just passing a lot of hot air signifying nothing.

[Phil V.]

Thank you for the article and links. Interesting read.

[ex-Texan]

Sorry not to reply earlier but I was away from the computer.

I saw this film when it first came out. Which kind of reveals my age. Then I saw it later on television in the late 1960's. My recollection was that those famous words were spoken by Klatu to the character played by Patricia Neal and again by Patricia Neal to the giant robot Gort.

Have to admit my memory was fuzzy on who the female lead was but I recall the scene vividly. The terrified woman looking up at the robot as he was about to vaporize her with his particle beam ...

So I went to Google and looked up the movie, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still.'

I found many *.wav files which include both the 'Klatu, barata, nicto' comments from the film including the command to Gort to not destroy the earth, made by Patricia Neal's character 'Helen.'

Klickity Klick Klick to view all the *.wav files

[Terridan]

Don't remember his name, but Patricia Neil? girlfriend, and he said the words to his robot or droid...

[MeekOneGOP]

[MeekOneGOP]

http://www.wfaa.com/watchvideo/index.jsp?SID=3683978
Requires RealPlayer

Amateur tape shows what appears to be an object
breaking off Columbia over Arizona.

Video shows shuttle may have shed debris over Arizona -
check out this video taken by amateurs

Video link: Shuttle over D/FW, Texas

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

ROBERT McCULLOUGH / © 2003, DMN
Space shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it hurtled
across North Texas shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday.
The image was taken in Flower Mound.

[We Happy Few]

We have a winner!

[Junior]

NASA was in radio contact with the shuttle throughout.

No it wasn't. There is a point during reentry where the reentering vehicle is unable to maintain radio contact with the ground (or anyone else for that matter) because the heat plume around the vehicle interferes with radio waves.

[zygoat]

Another left-wing conspiracy.

[error99]

"You tinfoilers in the peanut gallery are amusing to a point, but after a while, your drumbeat of paranoia grows very tiresome."
- - -
Of course, you DO have an option
if this all bothers you so much...
(hint: just don't read it!)

[snopercod]

This is gross incompetence by NASA. They are dismissing the most obvious suspect out of hand, on speculation alone, without the substantiation to do so

Most obvious to you maybe, but not to those who know anything about the shuttle.

I'm probably the only FReeper who has actually walked into the OPF and observed the tile damage from the previous Atlantis mission where the PC foam impacted the tiles on launch. There were hundreds of little dings, and a couple of deeper, longer ones. But absolutely nothing catastrophic.

I'm as pi$$ed off as anybody about NASA insisting that they go to the "environmentally friendly" solvents and adhesives. I also have first hand knowledge of NASA arrogance and political blame-shifting.

But it is not obvious that the foam falling off caused this problem, although it is possible if it damaged the leading edge of the gear door.

Try this simple test for yourself: Buy a 4'x8' sheet of Dow Board (the foam insulation used on houses). Suspend it over a deserted road from a tree limb at bumper height, then run into it at 67 MPH. Report back to us whether it does any damage to your car, OK?

[error99]

Whatever you do, do NOT try this at 88 MPH in a DeLorian...

[Smokin' Joe]

Seems to me that landing gear door damage (by errant foam fragments) would be a likely culprit. Breach that space with a jet of superheated material during reentry, and the tire rapidly reaches an acutely overpressurized state causing the mother of all blowouts--in the gear well.

Structural damage to the wing, either directly, or as the result of further exposure to reentry temperatures of unshielded structural elements could cause wing failure, loss of attitude control, and breakup of the orbiter.

I'm glad they are looking at all possibilities, but I think we are back to the basics on this one, much like the O rings on Challenger.

[joyful1]

Pssst. Here's a hint...T-E-R-R-O-R-I-S-M.

[Thinkin' Gal]

I was simply reminded of that passage so I posted it.

As far as the shuttle goes, see Daniel 4, the only place where this particular tree [Ilan] is mentioned.

[Wonder Warthog]

"NASA was in radio contact with the shuttle throughout. Had the commander experienced this phenomenon he would have said so."

I don't think so. There might simply not have been enough time. If there was a transient charge condition in that area of the atmosphere, I can easily see how the shuttle could cause it do "discharge" prematurely, as the hot plasma generated by descent atmospheric heating would make an excellent "conductor" to allow such a discharge. It might well not have been a fully-developed sprite, just a "pre-sprite" condition.

[jlogajan]

There is a point during reentry where the reentering vehicle is unable to maintain radio contact with the ground (or anyone else for that matter) because the heat plume around the vehicle interferes with radio waves.

They have occasional dropouts, but these days the shuttle communicates with satellites while in reentry. Apparently there is an aft hole in the ionized trail that allows communication to be continuous.

[jlogajan]

It would be hard to believe that a lightning bolt could do structural damage yet not glitch any of the electronics on-board. That's somewhat of a reversal of typical lightning strikes.

[jimkress]

LOL!