On Sunday, 2 de February de 2003 01:45, you wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Thomas Shaddack" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Harmon Seaver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 4:42 PM > Subject: Re: Shuttle Diplomacy > > > [snip conspiracy theory] > > > Especially in this case, I'd bet my shoes on Murphy; Columbia was an old > > lady that had her problems even before the launch itself. I'd bet on > > something stupid, like loosened tiles or computer malfunction (though > > more likely the tiles, as the computers are backed up). Remember > > Challenger, where the fault was a stupid O-ring. > > One of the current theories floating around has to do with a piece of > debris that flew off the booster rocket during take-off and collided with > the left wing (where the problems began). The video of the take-off was > reviewed in great detail and it was determined that it was innocent, > considering the proximity of the problems and the debris there appears to > be at least something worth investigating. > Joe
You betcha!! If more than a few tiles separated the plasma (much ionized oxigen) would interact with the aluminium of the shuttle structure and as aluminium has a high oxidation value an explosion would ensue... (Think termite...) <--- just a personal theory My question is other thou... Several years ago, some tiles got off the shuttle during liftoff. Being afraid of the condition of space shuttle a Keyhole spy satelite was used to examine the bottom of the space shuttle... Why hell in a mission with more than 10 days in space, they didn't do it again? The KH satellites too busy??? Only if there is a desperate search for saddam hussein's weapons of mass destruction or Osama Bin Laden... and there was no need to bug those people on the reconaissance office... Cheers, aife
