Re: STS51L Accident Questions

From: Pat Flannery (flanner_at_daktel.com)
Date: 02/18/05 

Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 10:41:36 -0600

Charleston wrote:

> The best motion picture film photography of the
>smoke puffs at launch, that is the cameras positioned with a direct angle to
>observe the start-up tranisent as to location, direction of smoke, size,
>etcetera, all failed to operate! The odds of that failure being coincidence
>are dim, but it did happen that way.
>
>

And your point is?

>As for your inability to see the smoke, please don't blame me. It takes a
>lot of bandwidth to put up MPEG II or AVI. I will put up some higher
>resolution photography later tonight for a limited timeframe. Personally, I
>can see plenty of black smoke up to about 3.4 seconds, and subsequently I
>see significant diffuse smoke brightly illuminated by the light of the SRB
>flames.
>

That stuff coming off the side of the tank, and falling into the area
behind the ET isn't related to the SRB problem, it shows up on every
Shuttle launch; it's either some sort of venting from the ET or frost
falling off of its exterior surface.

> Also, I conclude that the "STS 51-L JSC Visual Data Analysis
>Sub-Team" and the team at LMSC got it right when they saw smoke and "solid
>material" as late as 45 seconds emanating from the same region of the
>vehicle.
>

Are we talking about the SRB here, or some other part of the vehicle?

> Unfortuantely, they were overruled by the film team at KSC. As
>you probably know, it is KSC's views that are reflected in the final
>Presidential Commission report.
>
>

As we have photos showing the plume coming out of the SRB and impinging
on the ET's surface, followed by the failure of the ET, and also
detailed extremely clear film of the burning of the O-rings at the field
joint during SRB ignition with a plume of smoke exiting the SRB, this
whole thing is about as open and shut case as it's possible to get in
regards to the cause of the accident.

Pat

Relevant Pages

  • Re: STS51L Accident Questions
    ... I will post the raw "as received" STS 51-L SRB ... chamber pressure data in its entirety on my website ... I suppose one should ask him or herself what the smoke is supposed to look ... like after the initial o-ring leak? ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: STS51L Accident Questions
    ... there's a far better video of the smoke plume out there than ... SRB stiffener ring immediately below the base of the ET and from there on up ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Iranian launch -- EDITINT & SMOKEINT
    ... Smoke Gets in Your Eyes ... on Iranian rocket tests early this month to determine if the Iranians ... believe there is some evidence for a launch failure because of the odd ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Shuttle launch delayed to Thursday
    ... That would jibe with a Sunday launch ... I got to see the shuttle ... Then it kinda dawns on us that something should have happened by now. ... either waiting for the shuttle to appear above the smoke or a ...
    (rec.arts.disney.parks)
  • Re: Shuttle launch delayed to Thursday
    ... That would jibe with a Sunday launch ... I got to see the shuttle ... shuttle is no longer visable with all the smoke. ... Then it kinda dawns on us ...
    (rec.arts.disney.parks)
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