Discovery Took Off Today

[Skyler]

Space exploration is extremely interesting and I would like to see more missions going up and achieving new things.

Space has the ability to occupy our minds with limitless fascination.

 

[dysfunction]

I think it also creates an environment of innovation which is always a good thing

 

[TdC]

You watch too many SF series. You got used to all the high tech space flight methods they use on tv.

They might be able to replace the old space shuttle strapped to huge rockets idea if the space program budget multiplied by a 100 or so....

hehe not so! well, not nearly as much as I used to

imo the squeaky clean Buck Rodgers or Star Wars tech won't happen for a long while yet. I personally forsee a future with tech very much like what is displayed in films like Alien and Blade Runner. Gritty and extremely functional being the watchword, because we won't have the cash to do otherwise in the early days of going interplanetary.

 

[Embattle]

They've grounded the shuttle again, at least until they can find out what fell off it this time and possible effects of that item to the shuttle.

 

[dysfunction]

How can they ground it when its orbiting the earth?

 

[caLLous]

Obviously they can't, they've grounded the rest of the fleet.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Maybe i should tell them that i was doing some base jumping...

 

[Ukle]

It does look like this could be a terminal fault with the Shuttle.

What fell off was Foam again, the exact same problem that brought the last one down. They cant fix the fault (well short of coming up with some super foam which doesn't get air pockets etc that causes it to break off) as its a fault with the whole design of the shuttle, with the shuttle / payload being attached to the side of the rocket instead of the way with every other launch system i.e. the payload on the top so it doesn't matter if stuff falls off it cant fall off and hit the payload.

 

[Tom]

Foam has been falling off the fuel tank for many many years, its only with the Columbia incident they realised that the leading edge panels of the wings, previously thought to be impervious to damage, were in fact flawed.

Its just the media kicking up a fuss, you have to remember that most journalists know and understand nothing about spaceflight.

 

[JingleBells]

Foam has been falling off the fuel tank for many many years, its only with the Columbia incident they realised that the leading edge panels of the wings, previously thought to be impervious to damage, were in fact flawed.

Its just the media kicking up a fuss, you have to remember that most journalists know and understand nothing about spaceflight.

This diagram shows just how much debris has hit the shuttle, in someways it doesn't surprise me, after all the rockets are just giant fireworks.

 

[Embattle]

The Columbia deaths were due to poor judgement/procedure, not falling foam.

 

[Athan]

The Columbia deaths were due to poor judgement/procedure, not falling foam.

Er, do you mean Challenger there? Columbia *was* the shuttle that broke up on re-entry due to foam having hit the leading edge of one wing during launch.

Challenger, agreed, was due to poor judgement/procedure to do with the Solid Rocket Boosters and low temperatures.

-Ath

 

[Tom]

The Columbia deaths were due to poor judgement/procedure, not falling foam.

I don't agree. Thousands of hours of testing of the carbon leading edge panels showed that they were unbreakable. The video footage of the launch appeared to show that the underside of the wing had been hit, and that the shuttle could survive reentry as it had many times previously.

Only the disaster, and subsequent retesting of the leading edge panels to levels well beyond their initial tests showed that they were flawed.

I believe it was a genuine accident. They do happen you know.

 

[Embattle]

I don't agree. Thousands of hours of testing of the carbon leading edge panels showed that they were unbreakable. The video footage of the launch appeared to show that the underside of the wing had been hit, and that the shuttle could survive reentry as it had many times previously.

Only the disaster, and subsequent retesting of the leading edge panels to levels well beyond their initial tests showed that they were flawed.

I believe it was a genuine accident. They do happen you know.

NASA was complacent, thus didn't feel the need to do any further checks.

PS Nothing is unbreakable.