Challenger: A Harrowing Tale
Discussion
I've just read this article about the Challenger shuttle disaster (1986?).
It makes very harrowing reading indeed. Those poor crew members.
Sit at your desk now and see how long 2 minutes 45 seconds is. A long time just to sit there. Now imagine how long it felt for them.
It makes very harrowing reading indeed. Those poor crew members.
Sit at your desk now and see how long 2 minutes 45 seconds is. A long time just to sit there. Now imagine how long it felt for them.
soad said:
Remember seeing it on the news (back then). 
Article said: "They were alive all the way down."
But not conscious. Article said: "They were alive all the way down."
I think evidence was found that three had turned on their evac air designed to get them out of the shuttle on a on ground launch pad emergency. General view is they were unconcious. I beleive.
The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
southendpier said:
General view is they were unconcious. I beleive.
The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
That's not what the quoted article says - the gist being that the explosion, whilst being strong enough to separate the crew section, wasn't powerful enough to injure the crew. The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
The orbiter exploded at around 48,000 ft but the crew compartment was carried upwards through its momentum to around 65,000 ft before it then fell ballistically back to the ground.
The article acknowledges that no-one knows for certain but says that the G forces experienced wouldn't have been so overwhelming as to push the astronauts into unconsciousness - and in any event, at least one of them (the mission commander) was a very experienced military test pilot was who very well used to enduing excessive Gs without passing out.
There's a very real possibility that some or all of them were conscious for a good part, if not all, of the 2 mins 45 it took to hit the ocean
southendpier said:
But not conscious.
I think evidence was found that three had turned on their evac air designed to get them out of the shuttle on a on ground launch pad emergency. General view is they were unconcious. I beleive.
The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
Not according to that article.I think evidence was found that three had turned on their evac air designed to get them out of the shuttle on a on ground launch pad emergency. General view is they were unconcious. I beleive.
The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
article said:
Mercifully unconscious?
But even if the crew cabin had survived intact, wouldn’t the violent pitching and yawing of the cabin as it descended toward the ocean created G-forces so strong as to render the astronauts unconscious?
That may have once been believed. But that was before the investigation turned up the key piece of evidence that led to the inescapable conclusion that they were alive: On the trip down, the commander and pilot’s reserved oxygen packs had been turned on by astronaut Judy Resnik, seated directly behind them. Furthermore, the pictures, which showed the cabin riding its own velocity in a ballistic arc, did not support an erratic, spinning motion. And even if there were G-forces, commander Dick Scobee was an experienced test pilot, habituated to them.
The evidence led experts to conclude the seven astronauts lived. They worked frantically to save themselves through the plummeting arc that would take them 2 minutes and 45 seconds to smash into the ocean.
That is when they died — after an eternity of descent.
But even if the crew cabin had survived intact, wouldn’t the violent pitching and yawing of the cabin as it descended toward the ocean created G-forces so strong as to render the astronauts unconscious?
That may have once been believed. But that was before the investigation turned up the key piece of evidence that led to the inescapable conclusion that they were alive: On the trip down, the commander and pilot’s reserved oxygen packs had been turned on by astronaut Judy Resnik, seated directly behind them. Furthermore, the pictures, which showed the cabin riding its own velocity in a ballistic arc, did not support an erratic, spinning motion. And even if there were G-forces, commander Dick Scobee was an experienced test pilot, habituated to them.
The evidence led experts to conclude the seven astronauts lived. They worked frantically to save themselves through the plummeting arc that would take them 2 minutes and 45 seconds to smash into the ocean.
That is when they died — after an eternity of descent.
Horrible tale.
And when i read the report that was linked i thought it was trashy rubbishy reporting as well.
But I read this page...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078069/ns/technology_...
Which describe the take off of the shuttle and I think its brilliant journalism.
And when i read the report that was linked i thought it was trashy rubbishy reporting as well.
But I read this page...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078069/ns/technology_...
Which describe the take off of the shuttle and I think its brilliant journalism.
Matt Evans said:
southendpier said:
But not conscious.
I think evidence was found that three had turned on their evac air designed to get them out of the shuttle on a on ground launch pad emergency. General view is they were unconcious. I beleive.
The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
Not according to that article.I think evidence was found that three had turned on their evac air designed to get them out of the shuttle on a on ground launch pad emergency. General view is they were unconcious. I beleive.
The pressures invoved on the craft at break up were astonishing, unlikely anyone would survived/remainded conscious the deceleration.
article said:
Mercifully unconscious?
But even if the crew cabin had survived intact, wouldn’t the violent pitching and yawing of the cabin as it descended toward the ocean created G-forces so strong as to render the astronauts unconscious?
That may have once been believed. But that was before the investigation turned up the key piece of evidence that led to the inescapable conclusion that they were alive: On the trip down, the commander and pilot’s reserved oxygen packs had been turned on by astronaut Judy Resnik, seated directly behind them. Furthermore, the pictures, which showed the cabin riding its own velocity in a ballistic arc, did not support an erratic, spinning motion. And even if there were G-forces, commander Dick Scobee was an experienced test pilot, habituated to them.
The evidence led experts to conclude the seven astronauts lived. They worked frantically to save themselves through the plummeting arc that would take them 2 minutes and 45 seconds to smash into the ocean.
That is when they died — after an eternity of descent.
But even if the crew cabin had survived intact, wouldn’t the violent pitching and yawing of the cabin as it descended toward the ocean created G-forces so strong as to render the astronauts unconscious?
That may have once been believed. But that was before the investigation turned up the key piece of evidence that led to the inescapable conclusion that they were alive: On the trip down, the commander and pilot’s reserved oxygen packs had been turned on by astronaut Judy Resnik, seated directly behind them. Furthermore, the pictures, which showed the cabin riding its own velocity in a ballistic arc, did not support an erratic, spinning motion. And even if there were G-forces, commander Dick Scobee was an experienced test pilot, habituated to them.
The evidence led experts to conclude the seven astronauts lived. They worked frantically to save themselves through the plummeting arc that would take them 2 minutes and 45 seconds to smash into the ocean.
That is when they died — after an eternity of descent.
Still a pretty harrowing story, including all the background to how a completley preventable disaster could have happened in the first place. This (together with Chernobyl and the Herald of Free Enterprise) is one of my earliest real memories of a 'big' news event unfolding, I was six at the time.
Lost soul said:
There is a little shown news clip of the Israeli guy sitting by a window , you can clearly see damage to the wing
I doubt it....There was no damage to the wing prior to take off? (not to mention this accident not being caused by any damage to a wing??)
and as far as i'm aware there were no Isralies (sp) onboard???
Dan_1981 said:
Lost soul said:
There is a little shown news clip of the Israeli guy sitting by a window , you can clearly see damage to the wing
I doubt it....There was no damage to the wing prior to take off? (not to mention this accident not being caused by any damage to a wing??)
and as far as i'm aware there were no Isralies (sp) onboard???
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