NOW they ground the shuttle fleet, before they're even back on earth

[mopaul]

that's got to instill the astronauts with confidence huh?

[ClintonTyree]

1. Yeah........

I bet they're shitting bricks up there, unless they haven't told them, that is.

[Prism]

3. I'm sure they did

They're testing the new robotic arm to inspect the outside of the shuttle while it's in orbit. No doubt they're having the crew study the thermal tiles very closely.

A minor loss of thermal tiles was actually a fairly routine occurrence during previous shuttle missions. They're very fragile, and the "glue" holding them on isn't as strong as one might think. It wasn't the loss of tiles that destroyed Columbia, it was the gaping hole blasted into the wing.

Also, factor in this is the most closely scrutinized and video taped shuttle mission in the history of the program. The insulating foam could have been - and probably was - flying all over the place during launch. They simply never noticed or never worried much about it until it caused a disaster.

[Spinzonner]

2. Yeah, maybe they'll even refuse to come down

they'll be so mad.

Undoubtedly they announced it because it would have leaked out anyway, once they decided to suspend FUTURE LAUNCHES.

[jus_the_facts]

4. that's what goin' with the *lowest bidder* gets 'em.....

....sure hope they make it back safely this time. :(

[woodsprite]

5. Which goes to prove the launch was a "distraction". n/t

[flordehinojos]

6. at this point,i would be having nervous breakdowns if i were up in orbit

:)

[oscar111]

7. Robotics cost 1/1O human flights, do same jobs. End human flights

we cant afford human flights. Never could.

9 million starving to death worldwide. "flyover people"

here, 1OO OOO homeless die /yr from heat , cold.

4 billion would end all hmlssness.
Save 1OO OOO lives.

The shuttle throws away 6 billion/yr.. on obscure experiments that robots could do for .6 billion, saving 5.4 billion, eno to end all homelessness and save 1OO OOO lives right here in the usa.

The current shuttle is illconceived and costs many, many lives.

[Obamanaut]

10. Factor in the cost of congressional

junkets to watch the launches, even the ones that are postponed - how many thousands of wasted tax dollars that could have been better used to feed some hungry kids.

[msmcghee]

8. I don't understand how they didn't know this pre-launch . .

Back in the sixties I worked on several space programs in SoCal. Even then we had huge speaker coils powered by big amplifiers that we attached to items that were headed to space - and we could shake the hell out of them. We used a variety of acoustic waves including recordings of the actual vibration spectrum from the rocket motors that were being used for launch. We vibrated the whole Apollo upper stages to find resonant modes.

We also had wind tunnels to subject models to air flow at any conceivable airspeed. It amazes me that they are surprised now about the foam still breaking and coming off.

Do they just not have the money to run the tests? Seems unlikely for such a critical known problem that has already destroyed several lives and set the program back several years and billions of dollars.

[mopaul]

9. gluing little tiles on the shuttle seems so low tech to me

interesting job you had!

why can't they cover the whole thing in the tile material? instead of gluing hundreds of them on. i never understood that.

tesla proved more or less that resonant vibes can rip anything apart.

[Tesha]

11. Tiles can only be baked up to a certain size.

(And then there's the different coefficients of thermal expansion
between the tile material and the aluminum underlayment.)

Tesha

[mopaul]

14. they've had a 'space plane' design forever, instead of a rocket design

it goes slowly into orbit just like a plane and comes in the same way. i don't know why they've never persued it.

[Tesha]

15. How do you figure it dissipates the energy...

How do you figure it dissipates the energy represented by orbiting
at 17,000 MPH? THAT is the problem that the tiles are meant
to solve.

Tesha

[Javaman]

13. What I find interesting about the tile design is this...

Every system on the shuttle has 3 additional back ups. Why then is there only one way of protecting the shuttle during re-entry?

During the days of the apollo program a heat shield was used to protect the capsule upon re-entry. With all the technology and geegaws invented since the apollo days, one would think that they could come up with something a hell of a lot better than frigging tiles!

I had an idea a few years ago, but it would add a lot of weight to the shuttle so, I thought it a bad idea. However now I don't think it's so bad and with modern tech I'm sure they can figure out a lighter way.

Why doesn't NASA use that apollo tech on the shuttle. Still use the tiles but under the tiles, especially the wing and nose sections, place a layer of the heat shield resistant material that was used during 60's. I'm sure at this point they could figure out some sort of thinner material or a spray on version of that stuff.

Pardon my ignorance in all of this, I'm neither a rocket scientist or play one on TV. It's just something that begs to be explored.

[Tesha]

16. In a word, "weight".

The heavier the shuttle, the more energy needs to be dissipated as you
brake it from 17,000 MPH to zero.

The tiles represent a good solution; they've just got to quit smashing
them on launch.

Tesha

[jim3775]

17. There is a backup

There is a pressure seal and two redundant heat shields on the shuttle.

[Javaman]

19. Redundant heat shields?

Again, pardon my ignorance, but why then didn't they work?

[msmcghee]

18. There's also a problem with different rates of thermal expansion.

As Tesha points out. It's like why there has to be expansion joints in railroad track. That can put tremendous stress on the adhesive joint.

[Tesha]

12. They probably knew a "probability" (for detaching foam)

And then, on launch, they lost the bet.

Tesha