Re: Columbia question (includes some general ascent profile questions)

On 22 Jun 2006 03:50:36 GMT, dg411@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Andre Lieven)
wrote:

David Ball (davidbemail-1q04@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) writes:
As I recall, the doomed Columbia flight was one that did NOT go to the
station. Now, I'm not an aerospace engineer, but this brings a
question to mind. Has there been any research into whether the ascent
profile/angle would have been different enough, if Colombia was going
to the station, for the foam to have missed the RCC panel if it came
off at that point (as determined by mission elapsed time or altitude
or speed or whatever is appropriate) in the flight?

In other words, was all this time spent fixing a problem that wouldn't
cause the loss of a shuttle if it happened on an ISS mission because
the different angle of wind flow at that point in the mission would
cause it to miss the RCC panels?

Hopefully this isn't a totally silly question.

Well... it is. The air doesn't care if you're flying north, west,
or north-west. It continues to flow past your craft the same way.

Having been a private pilot in my younger days (when I could still
pass the physical), I know what you mean, but we're talking about
different things. Air definitely cares about your crafts movement
relative to the air. Otherwise I wouldn't have had to practice things
like accelerated stalls and spin recovery.

Actually, what I was talking about was what you would call angle of
attack for an aircraft wing. Of course, the shuttle stack is not an
aircraft wing, but it does maneuver through the air at different
angles as necessary for the flight profile. Did the flight profile for
a different destination change the angle of air flow across the stack,
when the piece of foam came off, enough to make the foam hit the RCC
rather than scrape some tiles on the bottom or miss the shuttle
entirely.

That far into the ascent, does the stack always have a constant angle
relative to the air regardless of where it's headed?

Also, does the flight profile for a particular destination determine
how long it spends in lower, denser air during ascent, and does that
mean that some events, like exceeding mach one, take place in denser
air? I'm guessing that the answer to this might be yes unless all of
the maneuvering for orbital parameters takes place later in the
flight.


[snip]
Andre


-- David

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: McLarens "horns"
    ... Someone get this man a nobel prize, he's discovered one can push a plank through the air at an angle without deflecting any air. ... Any time the plank tries to push through the air at an angle the forces cause the whole plane to rotate to where the wings are level WRT flight path again. ... the wings can't produce lift as the design causes any lift to be cancelled by changes in angle. ...
    (rec.autos.sport.f1)
  • Re: ? about projectile motion w/ air resistance
    ... the projectile won't hit the target. ... much larger angle to the horizontal, then you will hit the target. ... air with a big angle to the horizontal. ... you've given it as much horizontal velocity as you ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: OT: Time To Buy A Gun, Or Move To New Zealand?
    ... >>>volley into the air can have an amazing deterent effect. ... kill a man 2000 yards away with a high powered rifle. ... depends on the angle at which you fire it. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: What angle creates MAXIMUM air deflection?
    ... A flat surface, AB, is moving through the air, with the surface ... road at the speed you are interested in and vary the angle of AB until ... the ping pong ball is hanging as low as possible. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: A question about lens
    ... > swimming pool phenomenon or fiber glass phenomenon someone describes. ... > I am talking about light coming from air on a "glass pane", bent so ... > much that it comes back in the air. ... So there is no approach angle from the ...
    (sci.physics)