NBC makes a mountain out of an ant hill:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/30710302#30710302
Really should have used Jim Oberg, then again it would not have had the false sense of disaster.
Need I say it, BBC News had a headline this morning of "Space Shuttle Damaged" and quoted their correspondent as saying that Endeavour was on standby to rescue the shuttle. Of course none of this is untrue, but the general public is not going to receive the full picture we are getting on NASASpaceflight.com. My anti-BBC rant ends now.
NBC makes a mountain out of an ant hill:
Just be glad that none of the media outlets have really latched onto the ASA / FCS problem. Being one FCS component failure away from "Next PLS" makes me very nervous, and I won't begin to relax until they get the new gyros and SIC&DH in on EVA1. Also I'm eagerly anticipating what mitigating wizardry they might figure out in the next day or so to reduce the FCS exposure.
My local NBC affiliate just had to bring up Columbia in their report tonight.
Also heard this in the morning radio news in Finland (from the public broadcaster YLE): "Atlantis damaged by
space junk, but no mission impact".
Ouch.
Just showed the Flight Day 2 highlights on NASA TV. Great handheld video of the crew at work and some fun interviews, seems like they are having a ball up there.
NBC makes a mountain out of an ant hill:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/30710302#30710302
Really should have used Jim Oberg, then again it would not have had the false sense of disaster.
Need I say it, BBC News had a headline this morning of "Space Shuttle Damaged" and quoted their correspondent as saying that Endeavour was on standby to rescue the shuttle. Of course none of this is untrue, but the general public is not going to receive the full picture we are getting on NASASpaceflight.com. My anti-BBC rant ends now.
Is Marcia Dunn writing headlines for NBC now?
Folks, no need for media bashing. Not so long ago NASA would have ordered FI for this, actually did an EVA to pull a gapfiller and another one to stitch an OMS blanket. NASA has gone a long way since RTF, it has been hypersensitive with TPS stuff, the media are still reflecting this. Btw. there is a rescue Shuttle on 39B for a 1:400 or so chance of being needed. There is risk aversion in the general public and at NASA. The media are reflecting this. Get used to it.
Analyst
Will there be a reboost or not?
Tile Damage- Atlantis, a general feel from my experience: 1981-1992
I am NOT a TPS expert but did have many TPS friends, was heavily briefed yearly on the criticality of the Tile, various types and their locations. I have seen almost every type damage you can imagine, some you can't.
During the STS-2 lift off tape reviews, we witnessed a whole slew of Black Tiles just falling off the Body Flap! You could see them dropping like raindrops from the Orbiter's Body Flap into the Flame trench. They were most likely blown out into the swampy areas surrounding Pad A.
As I moved up the MPS responsibility ladder, I was delegated as Shuttle landing (MPS Engineer) required to support a very unlikely but not improbable RTLS (Return to Launch Site) Abort, which would hopefully land safely at the KSC runway.
Eventually I was the lucky Engineer who kept the responsibility for the Actual planned Shuttle Landings as the program matured. I was there for the first ever KSC Landing of a Space Shuttle which happened to be a Challenger landing at KSC (Post DoD Mission).
As I learned the intricacies of the Landing flow via OMI S0028, I also became very familiar with many safety issues with Tire explosions, Hypergolic TLVs, Possible Cryo/LH2 and LO2 Hazards and to help inspect/report MPS damage (Prime concern) and because I was an extra set of eyes I would help with TPS Damage reporting and even Tire wear, Hydraulic leaks, unusual venting noises etc., etc.
Now for the Chips we have seen in the Black Wing Root Tiles in the Wing Root's Chine section. Big note here, these are Black (Thermally Tough) Tile. However, these "chips" (not the RCC's Grey Carbon material on the Nose and most critical of all, the Wing Leading edges) damaged on Columbia.
These specific areas that are showing up as the White spots in the Chine Tile do see higher temps than the White areas BUT do not see the extremes in Temp and Plasma Ionization "trip points". Yes, the entire Shuttle is bathed in ionizing particles that make up the nice glowing Plasma.
This deadly Plasma is always looking for "cracks in the Armor".
The small areas, on the four Black Tile located on the "Chine" section of the wing root, have been recorded before. Maybe not at this same location, but the same “White Chipped” look due to the Black Thermal coating having been knocked off by an impact event.
The white color is due to the pure Silica that makes up these tiles. The Black Tiles are Thermal rugged coated Silica Tile. A chipped White tile wouldn't look as "bad" due to the extreme contrast in color seen in the Black Tiles.
NASA has cleared these damaged tiles as not a hazard for reentry, at least that’s the last I had heard at the briefing today (Tuesday 5/12/09). I know TPS Engineers have seen this damage many times before, I have seen it Post Landing myself.
How to tell: If it occurred from a small pebble during landing all you see is a bright White area (the Black Coating having been "chipped" off by runway debris). Some cause rough chunks/holes to remain.
If it was already damaged prior to re-entry (like these) then the extreme Turbulent vortices created during re-entry cause a shift from Laminar flow to the very localized areas of extremely Turbulent Vortex flow regimes at the Chipped sites.
We see mini craters on the downstream side of the chipped area. These little craters are small in structure and you “just know” some kind of Aerodynamic Erosion caused the type of “crater” or other damaged shape but with smooth areas not rough areas caused by a small Gator, bug, pebble/rock, even Orbiter debris that fell off during landing (a small nut, bolt, lightning strip, even foam or who knows??) .
Anything thrown up by the Main Tires @ ~250 knots, well it will damage those tiles, especially since I have done it myself, by accident, within a week of Launch in one case. That’s a whole other story folks!
