Space Shuttle Columbia re-entry

Video by Dan McNew of the ill fated re-entry of the Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas in 2003.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Columbia
• shuttle
• re-entry
• McNew

[Rockets010101]

Have respect

[JamieEvans64]

@Idinamenzelluvu That's the whole thing... I lived in Cent Texas at that time, and saw it, that's the whole re-entry.

[rockergirl83]

I lived in Murchison, TX at that time, and that loud bang woke me up. I thought it sounded like a car blowing up.

[congaleader2000]

0:09, was he flying sideways? is that the silloute from the back??

[greglam]

At 0:13 - 0:15 you can clearly see a bright, shiny object below and to the right of the shuttle (as you look at the screen) flying TOWARDS the shuttle. Maybe it's just an anomaly caused by the zoom or something.

[ILLALLU]

Birds make it more surreal

[amishmike1]

Thank Heaven they no other Shuttle names began with the letter C. Challenger and Columbia were bad enough

[pugs321]

What is that thing in the air?

[clintonearlwalker]

@deathrooster14 Actually, the leading edge of the wing is part of the heat shield. However, the belly of the shuttle is covered with tiles, while the edge of the wings were covered with strips of brittle reinforced carbon carbon, or at least that's what they call it. There are several vids of tests conducted on this carbon that caused holes and dents that would let hot gas enter the wing. The internal struts of the wing are aluminum which melts very easily.

[deathrooster14]

@clintonearlwalker Huh. I thought is was the heat shield.

[clintonearlwalker]

@deathrooster14 A piece of briefcase sized foam struck the leading edge of the wing made of reinforced carbon carbon, there are many vids and experiments detailing the cause.

[deathrooster14]

@clintonearlwalker No, it was the damaged heat shield from a foam strike on launch.