----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Seeberger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 8:19 PM Subject: Re: Top 5 Cosmic Myths
----- Original Message ----- From: "Reggie Bautista" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 3:46 PM Subject: Re: Top 5 Cosmic Myths > rob posted: > > >http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/top5_myths_020903-1.html > > How does the fourth myth: > http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/top5_myths_020903-4.html > relate to the Columbia disaster? > OK.....I'm probably gonna get this wrong, but I'll give it a try. At the speeds the shuttle travels during reentry, the pressure wave builds up on the leading edges of the wings and body (in regards to the direction the shuttle is heading). The pressure wave heats the atmosphere around the pressure wave until it generates a plasma. (evidenced by the coronal glow associated with re-entry) The plasma is thousands of degree in temperature. It works like a blowtorch on any exposed materials. The leading edges of the shuttle are protected by materials that are resistant to heat and don't conduct heat very well. But if those protective materials are damaged in such a way that the underlying aluminum is exposed, you have a serious problem. Aluminum is used because of its light weight, but one of its drawbacks is its low melting point. Aluminum exposed to a hot plasma ( such as the one seen during re-entry) melts like butter. Aluminum also conducts heat very well, so adjacent structures are also weakened, likely causing a small breach in protection to become a large breach in a short period of time. At the same time the pressure wave is exerting force on the shuttle. This force is used to slow the ship down. But if the plasma breaches the skin of the shuttle, the force of the pressure wave also becomes a destructive force upon the integrity of the shuttles structure. The reports of increased drag on the left side of the shuttle and the left wing suggest that something happened that increased the available surface area on that side, giving the pressure wave more area to work upon. The heat of the plasma damages the structure until the pressure wave is enough to tear the wing off. This causes the shuttle to be aerodynamically unstable and it starts to tumble. The shuttle is designed to withstand 3Gs of force, but tumbling at that high rate of speed is well beyond what the shuttle was intended to withstand, and it is torn piece by piece until it is a cloud of rubble flying at multi-mach speeds all being burned by the plasma and being torn by the pressure wave. This explains the metallic molecular cloud that drifted across the south that day and was shown on weather radar. Please feel free to correct any and all mistakes or omissions. I'd like to understand this better myself. xponent Amateur Maru rob wait a minute something's wrong he's a man with a plan his finger is pointed at Brin-L now we must sacrifice ourselves that many others may live ok we've got a lot to give _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
