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re: Astronauts survived Challenger until they hit the water
Posted on 2/26/16 at 7:40 am to DavidTheGnome
Posted on 2/26/16 at 7:40 am to DavidTheGnome
We just had a thread about this the other day.
Best we can figure is that Resnick activated Scobee and Smith's emergency air supply. Smith knew - just a second or two prior to the explosion, he audibly says, "Uh oh." And because of certain switches' position when found, out of their ascent postion indicate that Smith (and likely Scobee) tried to fly the ship without wings.
I'm still not certain they maintained consciousness all the way to impact, though. Once they started rolling, they encountered G-forces that may have induced unconsciousness. But the emergency air supply remaining time is consistent with the activated ones being on during the descent.
Obviously, ~200 Gs at impact was not survivable.
Best we can figure is that Resnick activated Scobee and Smith's emergency air supply. Smith knew - just a second or two prior to the explosion, he audibly says, "Uh oh." And because of certain switches' position when found, out of their ascent postion indicate that Smith (and likely Scobee) tried to fly the ship without wings.
I'm still not certain they maintained consciousness all the way to impact, though. Once they started rolling, they encountered G-forces that may have induced unconsciousness. But the emergency air supply remaining time is consistent with the activated ones being on during the descent.
Obviously, ~200 Gs at impact was not survivable.
0
Posted on 2/26/16 at 7:42 am to LSUBoo
One of the engineers who designed the rockets was on NPR Thursday.
They knew the O rings had a chance to crack and leak if it was cold outside.
They warned NASA of the problem the day before the launch and the day of the launch.
The engineer still carries a lot of guilt.
They knew the O rings had a chance to crack and leak if it was cold outside.
They warned NASA of the problem the day before the launch and the day of the launch.
The engineer still carries a lot of guilt.
This post was edited on 2/26/16 at 7:44 am
Posted on 2/26/16 at 8:03 am to Kafka
quote:
Mary Jo Kopechne lived for at least 10 minutes after hitting the water But Teddy couldn't be bothered
Who can blame him? He was busy putting together a 'Republican War On Women" speech.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 8:42 am to GetCocky11
quote:
Regain control? I think the vehicle had no wings at that point. It was basically a giant cinder block falling to the earth.
Exactly. Just training, habit, and no real time to assess what really happened and how much they lost.
You have to hope they lost pressure and fell asleep/hypoxia. Otherwise that is hell. It must have taken 4-5 minutes to fall from that altitude.
What was their highest altitude?
Posted on 2/26/16 at 8:55 am to crazycubes
quote:
yep, sad. the engineers at Morton Thiokol (SRB manufacturer, i think) begged NASA not to launch. they were over-ruled.
This memo came after a Challenger mission just a few months before the ill fated explosion. It mentions Don Lind, one of the mission specialists.
While participating in the investigation into the destruction of Challenger during STS-51-L in 1986, Overmyer discovered that a problem with the shuttle's O-rings, similar to that which led to the disaster, had emerged during the launch of STS-51-B. Morton Thiokol engineers told Lind after the mission that "you came within three-tenths of one second of dying."[5] It was the problem with the O-rings on the left solid rocket motor on this launch (SRM 16A) that prompted Roger Boisjoly to write his famous memo to Bob Lund about the potential for the O-rings to cause catastrophic failure
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:04 am to GetCocky11
quote:while true, the pilot kept it steady until impact in the hope of a crash landing. Aerodynamics suggest it would have been spinning out of control due to wind shear, however he was able to manipulate flaps etc. Until impact. Unfortunately they were going waaaaay to fast for a survivable crash.
Regain control? I think the vehicle had no wings at that point. It was basically a giant cinder block falling to the earth.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:27 am to DavidTheGnome
Great read thanks!
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:30 am to PepaSpray
quote:
while true, the pilot kept it steady until impact in the hope of a crash landing. Aerodynamics suggest it would have been spinning out of control due to wind shear, however he was able to manipulate flaps etc. Until impact. Unfortunately they were going waaaaay to fast for a survivable crash.
DAMN.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:32 am to kywildcatfanone
quote:I am.
Are you just now finding this out?
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:34 am to bird35
I was listening to the report on NPR about this. A couple of engineers really tried hard to get the launch cancelled but they were overruled by a committee of Thyacol? (contractor) and NASA higher ups.
Yesterday, I heard about the old guy that has lived with a lot of guilt about not doing more, finally getting letters of apology and thanks from some of the folks that overruled him and others. He was absolved in his own mind and is happier than he had been since the tragedy.
Was anyone ever at least reprimanded over this?
Yesterday, I heard about the old guy that has lived with a lot of guilt about not doing more, finally getting letters of apology and thanks from some of the folks that overruled him and others. He was absolved in his own mind and is happier than he had been since the tragedy.
Was anyone ever at least reprimanded over this?
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:36 am to DavidTheGnome
Big Bird from Sesame Street was almost on the shuttle
Apparently the large suit was too big to fit in the shuttle and he was replaced by Christa McAuliffe, the teacher that was killed in the Challenger disaster.
Apparently the large suit was too big to fit in the shuttle and he was replaced by Christa McAuliffe, the teacher that was killed in the Challenger disaster.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:49 am to LSU alum wannabe
quote:
You have to hope they lost pressure and fell asleep/hypoxia.
And this is where I'm at - I believe the cabin lost main pressurization immediately. Any significant bulkhead or window breach would have bled out that pressurization within a few seconds. The emergency air packs were not designed for localized pressurization and would have only supplied breathable air. They were not in hard suits for the ascent. I believe that unconsciousness almost certainly set in before impact. I do so based on the uncertainty of the evidence and because it is what I choose to believe.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:52 am to YNWA
quote:
Another tidbit. They knew the O rings had to be at a certain temperature for liftoff or they had to abort. It was too cold to launch that morning but Reagan had a televised address to the American public that night and the powers that be forced them to launch that morning. It was doomed from the start and alot of people at NASA knew it but we're powerless to stop it.
I just watched a special on this last week. The o-rings had actually melted and come within seconds of failing on a previous Discovery launch. That's how the engineers knew the o-rings had a problem.
Cameras positioned around the launch pad catch a puff of smoke on launch out the o-ring seal that eventually caused the right rocket support to break. They believe the o-rings failed immediately but the leak became plugged with slag. The slag remained in place until the shuttle hit a slipstream that had been reported by airplanes flying through it early that day. NASA was able to confirm from the smoke trail that the shuttle hit this same slip stream and was rocked hard sideways requiring the shuttle to make steering corrections. The hot gasses from the rocket start melting through the right booster support at the exact same time.
Had the shuttle not hit that slipstream it would have likely survived.
This post was edited on 2/26/16 at 10:01 am
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:53 am to YNWA
quote:
Astronauts survived Challenger until they hit the water
Another tidbit. They knew the O rings had to be at a certain temperature for liftoff or they had to abort. It was too cold to launch that morning but Reagan had a televised address to the American public that night and the powers that be forced them to launch that morning. It was doomed from the start and alot of people at NASA knew it but we're powerless to stop it.
Reagan had absolutely nothing to do with when Challenger launched.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:55 am to DavidTheGnome
Interesting. Thanks for posting. I've never understood why people have to be such a-holes. I come to this board often and have never read it.
There are really much bigger things in life to worry about. Seeing a post that you have seen before really isn't a reason to be an arse, but you're probably an unhappy dick to begin with so...
In case some people are interested, read this letter written by an engineer before launch warning of a hardware failure:
Link To Letter
There are really much bigger things in life to worry about. Seeing a post that you have seen before really isn't a reason to be an arse, but you're probably an unhappy dick to begin with so...
In case some people are interested, read this letter written by an engineer before launch warning of a hardware failure:
Link To Letter
This post was edited on 2/26/16 at 10:00 am
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:55 am to Ace Midnight
I would hope they were passed out at impact. I just can't imagine somehow seeing the water coming at you that fast with no escape or hope. The impact must have been brutal.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:57 am to dukke v
quote:
I just can't imagine somehow seeing the water coming at you that fast with no escape or hope.
What's worse? Being on the flight deck and seeing it or being on the mid-deck, in the dark with no way to communicate for almost 3 minutes?
quote:
I would hope they were passed out at impact.
Amen, PJ, amen.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 9:59 am to DavidTheGnome
I want believe the crew wasn't conscious for the fall, but listening to astronaut Story Musgrave speak about "all kinds of evidence" is pretty chilling.
Posted on 2/26/16 at 10:02 am to DavidTheGnome
So when Christa McAuliffe was saying goodbye to her husband and said, "you feed the kids and I'll feed the fish" she wasn't lying?
Posted on 2/26/16 at 10:06 am to Special K
quote:
apparently the large suit was too big to fit in the shuttle and he was replaced by Christa McAuliffe, the teacher that was killed in the Challenger disaster.
Damn I never knew she was a substitute teacher. There are all kinds of fun facts in here.
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