Re: The Challenger Cover-Up -- NASA's Unidentified 51-L Frustum

Peter Joseph wrote:
>
> Actually, I think I got my wires crossed, the damaged fustrum
> which is alleged to be the Right fustrum does look very much like
> the fustrum in the UPI photo. Yes, there are some possible
> differences, but its fairly inconclusive based on the quality of
> the photo.

Now we're communicating well, thanks. The biggest difference is the
location of the damage in Photo E. That location begins directly above
the vertical portion of the big black "L," and that area is *not*
damaged in the UPI photo. No reviewer I've spoken with to date (until
you) has been at all uncertain about this major disparity between the
two.

> I have to agree from looking at your site and some other sources
> that the Left SRB / Right SRB, Crossover / No Crossover is an
> interesting line of investigation. However I'm uncertain how the
> paths the SRBs took during the explosion could rule out the Aft
> Field joint burn through.

That's been almost a universal complaint, even from congressmen (who
have highly paid aerospace experts and attorneys to help them). I have
letters to prove that.

I think all but possibly some newer members of this forum now
understand why the crossing I describe does rule out a right-aft
burnthrough, however. I can provide a formal web link or two from
people here who initially thought as you do, but subsequently changed
their minds. I think Yahoo still carries at least one of those links,
under the keywords 'Challenger conspiracy.' It's a PDF file.

> Also I don't see how the Aft RCS jets firing could have
> aggravated any leak....the Aft yaw jets don't fire in
> anything like the direction of the external tank. The main
> engines are burning closer to the ET than the RCS jets.

Ah, but RCS exhaust is as hot or hotter than SRB exhaust, and possibly
more corrosive when fired into the atmosphere. It's also in the
neighborhood of about five times hotter than ME exhaust, as I remember.
Assume there was no pre-explosion "SRB burnthrough" (only a leak in the
hydrogen tank). Then ask yourself this question. Where would you next
look for sufficient (compressed) heat with proximity to inflict tank
damage?

> I'd like to know where there is more information available
> for me to digest.

First, you need to convince yourself that a pre-X "right-aft
burnthrough" does go away in the event of a crossing at that velocity
(induced by SRB thrust imbalance).

I've used the mundane analogy of having a quarter in each pocket, only
one of which has a mint mark. You can take them out and toss them ahead
of you in opposite directions, with confidence that you can prove which
one will land where -- as long as you know which pocket had the one
with the mint mark. The left SRB had the "mint mark" -- a black ID band
around it's nose. It also had the post-X anomalous flare(s).

Dr. Feynman was on to it, he used to do magic tricks. He asked the
right question about it early on, too; but NASA didn't answer his
question, and Rogers sidetracked him. Unfortunately, Feynman didn't
know about the ID band until I told him, in late 1987.

You don't have to buy my book to figure this out, but I don't know
anyplace else where you can find much more -- unless you search the
archives of this forum by topic. (I've been posting here about Mission
51-L since January 2001.)

Challenger's Ghost

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