Space Shuttle Columbia: Seconds from Disaster part 4 of 5

[rancosteel]

JMcH is absolutely correct. Thanks for the upload.

[zeppelin401]

3:58

[JMcH]

Thank the environmentalists for this. During the Clinton Administration, they demanded (and got) through the EPA a more "environmentally friendly" foam for the fuel tank, but the foam was more likely to break off during launch. Environmentalism has killed more people than it can ever claim to have saved.

[njzhigheztgrade1]

wouldnt the hole cause the wing to rip off during launch after the hole was made because that part of the shuttle back then wasnt made for reinforcement it was made for light weight..(carbon fiber) ...also wouldnt the hole cause some type of leak while in space...and also i feel bad, because some employees at nasa knew about it, tried to help and was turned down... the crew could have been saved simply by another shuttle!!!!!

[aimhigh59]

@njzhigheztgrade1 The hole was not big enough plus as the atmosphere thins out there is no issue. The wings are still the same. they have not changed. Behind the RCC panel about 18 inches is the spar of the wing. There is no leaking of anything because the only thing pressurized is the cabin. Taking off the RCC panels on the wing does not violate the structural integrety of it. The only problem is that its constructed of aluminum which melts on re entry. Another shuttle wasnt ready to launch yet

[forrrestfirefan]

i herd the shuttle when i lived in segan texas i didnt know wat it was i thought it was aliens

[SUPERBURRITO]

When the shuttle was in orbit prior to re-entry, wouldn't there have been data to show a breach in the body/wing?

[bretsteinmetz]

Ron Ditmore apparently never had a simple lesson in ideas of mass and velocity lol...

[Tengoko]

@ thecandidate0607

The official report states that it was three helmets that indicate that the astronauts used their emergency oxygen reserves. That meant that at least three survived the initial explosion (as the crew cabin was entirely intact). However, the fall was over 2 and a half minutes, and the impact upon hitting the water killed them. So, you were mostly right. :)

[mach25man]

@Tengoko How does finding a helmet indicate the emergency O2 was used ?

[Tengoko]

@mach25man :: From the NASA Report made by biomedical specialist Joseph P. Kerwin - Each crew member's helmet was also connected to a personal egress air pack (PEAP) containing an emergency supply of breathing air (not oxygen) for ground egress emergencies, which must be manually activated to be available. Four PEAP's were recovered, and there is evidence that three had been activated.

It goes on to say that even with the breathing air, they still most likely lost consciousness.

[mach25man]

@Tengoko So finding the PEAP's indicated they switched on emergency air. The helmet by itself does'nt tell you they used emergency air. Just wanted to clarify that.

[djn00nan]

hey if i was gonna pick a way to die, a space shuttle would be it. i mean, how many people get to see a lightning storm from 20 miles high? i dont think they suffered

[thecandidate0607]

Well i know with challenger they know that atleast 2 (i think it was 2) astronauts survived the explosion because they activated their emergency oxygen supply but the fall into the ocean killed them. But columbia, i dont know, that high going that fast i dont know if they even knew what happened.

[djn00nan]

i imagine it would be an instantaneous death, i hope so atleast. i bet they knew some serious shit was happening tho, theyre musta been all kinda alarms goin off

[f22cool]

wrong for challenger the explosion would have killed them

[thecandidate0607]

dont take my word for it, research it, NASA confirmed after finding their helmets that 2 of the astronauts emergency oxygen reserves had been activated. Which are only activated manually when the astronaught knows something has gone wrong. And NASA instruments were still picking up heartbeats on the astronauts until the remains impacted into the Atlantic.

[blazed24sevn]

I have to agree with thecandidaTE0607. i heard the same exact thing.

[orionpax12345]

@f22cool it didnt explode, it broke up. the fireball was all the gases and fuel burning.

[avidalocan]

Just three cameras trained on it during launch. When Challenger launched and exploded in 1986, there were 200 official cameras on it.

[evfich]

thats profound

[hotcore5312]

What the hell kind of person are you?

[Fallparty]

I remember seeing Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore at a press interview. He was holding a 18"X6"X10" chunk of external tank foam. He remarked on 2-6-03 that "the foam simply was not heavy enough or travelling fast enough to damage the shuttles heat-resistant tiles".

I couldn't believe he didn't know that it's intertia, not just weight, that destroys.

He resigned in April 23, 2003. The foam was shot from a cannon and blasted a 16inch hole into the wing on July, 7, 2003.

[dopje31857]

Shows how fragile it all is. Really impressive footage.

[Mizzzan]

Noooooo, my Fave Shuttle Thanks For Helping Tho

[nathanmoeller]

I'd never seen the high FPS footage of the foam strike test before. Very startling. Thanks for sharing.