----- Original Message ----- From: "Nick Arnett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 3:02 PM Subject: RE: Shuttle Debris Trail
> > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Andrew Crystall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > ... > > > Thats what I am thinking. Even the Challenger explosion left > > large sections > > of airframe intact. > > I'm really interested in hearing the explainations behind the totality of > > Columbias destruction. > > The speed and altitude of today's crash were much, much higher than > Challenger, I believe (not sure of the speed of Challenger, anybody got > it?). A lot of high-speed, high-altitude breakups leave only very small > pieces. Look at the weird stuff that happens in tornados and it becomes > more obvious that at extreme wind speeds, things become rather > unpredictable. At least that's what I think. > You are the second to posit that explanation, but I dont think it is very good actually. There are literally thousands of pieces on the ground only some of which have that burnt/scorched look. It looks to me as if there was a significant explosion during the descent that broke the ship into pieces. The shuttle is designed to withstand the stresses of reentry. I would expect the airframe to withstand most damage even after losing a wing. Remember that the wings are behind the center of the shuttle. Most of the damage would be concentrated aft, and the forward sections would still be protected by heat tiles. I expect that larger sections of the airframe should have come down. That not a single section larger than 1 meter has survived suggests a greater catastrophe than air friction can explain. rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
