US Space Shuttle Missing - Worst Feared
Discussion
The Shuttle's heat shield is not ablative. The old Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules DID use an ablative protective coating (resin based) which melted and boiled away, dissipating the heat of re-entry and protecting the aluminium or beryllium capsule. By its very nature, an ablative heat shield can be used only once The Shuttle's tiles work on the "heat sink" principle. Only damaged tiles need to be replaced after each mission, not the whole heat shield.
As for the bangs people heard, these would have been the sonic boom as the Shuttle passing overhead. The rumbles reported later were heard by those living
further along the re-entry corridor and what they were hearing were multiple sonic booms from the various disintegrated sections of the vehicle.
As for the bangs people heard, these would have been the sonic boom as the Shuttle passing overhead. The rumbles reported later were heard by those living
further along the re-entry corridor and what they were hearing were multiple sonic booms from the various disintegrated sections of the vehicle.
Agree with both posts above. Of course the vehicles should be as safe as possible (again acceptable risk comes into it - as safe as possible means they never take off).
I believe that the space programme contributes to valuable medical research, and is essential to our way of life (no, you don't need manned missions to launch satellites, but you do need the programme).
The crew did know the risks. Loss of life is never acceptable, but NASA are not too far behind the 1% that they predicted. On the other hand, the crew got to do something that they have dreamed about all of their lives. As to would I go given the chance - course I would.
Unfortunately many more than seven US servicemen and women are likely to lose their lives for the good of our world over the coming months. They are probably not going to die whilst realising a lifelong dream, and their passing will not be marked in anything like the magnitude of these unfortunate astronaughts.
I believe that the space programme contributes to valuable medical research, and is essential to our way of life (no, you don't need manned missions to launch satellites, but you do need the programme).
The crew did know the risks. Loss of life is never acceptable, but NASA are not too far behind the 1% that they predicted. On the other hand, the crew got to do something that they have dreamed about all of their lives. As to would I go given the chance - course I would.
Unfortunately many more than seven US servicemen and women are likely to lose their lives for the good of our world over the coming months. They are probably not going to die whilst realising a lifelong dream, and their passing will not be marked in anything like the magnitude of these unfortunate astronaughts.
Most of us don't think twice when we jet off on our hols to Ibiza in our Boeing 757 or whatever. Not many know that literally hundreds of test pilots died perfecting the aeroplane and pushing its performace limits over the past 100 years. I've read that in one year in the 1950s at Edwards Air Force Base 15 test pilots were killed on test duties. Spaceflight is essentially an experimental activity and the risk factors involved are much more akin to rocket-plane research flying than normal commercial flight. Even here in Farnborough pilots died with alarming regularity in the 1950s.
I highly recommend Tom Wolfe's classic book "The Right Stuff" for an enjoyable and illuminating account of the 50's American test pilots and the early astronauts. The movie is not too bad either.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Sunday 2nd February 21:03
I highly recommend Tom Wolfe's classic book "The Right Stuff" for an enjoyable and illuminating account of the 50's American test pilots and the early astronauts. The movie is not too bad either.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Sunday 2nd February 21:03
It's a trajic loss, and all the more so for the negative responses it gets from some.
I think the space-program is of utmost important to everyone on this planet, as in all honesty I think at some point we will have to move off it.
As others have said, we are about pushing the boundaries... I think it gets forgotten too easily.
I think the space-program is of utmost important to everyone on this planet, as in all honesty I think at some point we will have to move off it.
As others have said, we are about pushing the boundaries... I think it gets forgotten too easily.
Yeager plays the janitor of Pancho Barnes Happy Bottom Riding Club. This was the Edwards pilots' favourite drinking establishment. Pancho herself had been a stunt pilot between the wars so she understood the test pilot mentality and the test pilots understood her.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Sunday 2nd February 21:56
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Sunday 2nd February 21:56
Thread resurrection
There’s a bbc documentary on at the moment about this
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tts5/the...
There’s a bbc documentary on at the moment about this
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tts5/the...
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