Richard Smith
July 16th 03, 01:31 PM
"James Oberg" > wrote in message
. ..
> On Feb 24 (http://www.msnbc.com/news/875772.asp?0dm=T218T) I wrote:
> "New analysis of the garbled last 32 seconds of radio signals from the
space
> shuttle Columbia has raised the possibility that the crew survived up to a
> minute after the spaceship began tumbling out of control and breaking up.
"
> This was also described in a Nightly News piece by Bob Hager using my
> material. This theory was confirmed a few weeks later by the OEX recorder
> data.
>
>
>
It's also a front page story on the NY Times today:
<excerpt:>
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TIMES NEWS TRACKER
Topics Alerts
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Space Shuttle
Accidents and Safety
Recording Equipment
Crew of Columbia Survived a Minute After Last Signal
By JOHN SCHWARTZ and MATTHEW L. WALD
he Columbia astronauts lived for almost a minute after their final
communication with mission control, well after signs that the craft was in
serious trouble, investigators at NASA and the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board said yesterday.
Investigators are scrutinizing data from an on-board sensor recording
system that continued to function far into the breakup of the Columbia for
clues about how to improve the survivability of future space vehicles,
possibly even the three remaining shuttles.
NASA is planning to disclose more information soon about the fate of
the crew, drawing from analysis of debris, information on where the debris
was found and data from an on-board data recorder, according to people
involved in the investigation.
While some news reports after the Feb. 1 accident suggested that the
astronauts died as soon as the shuttle broke apart, the space agency and the
investigation board have been circumspect about any such details. Even in
the hangar at the Kennedy Space Center, the debris from the crew cabin is
laid out separately in a private area, and officials have promised to not
disclose what they characterize as morbid details. Records indicate, though,
that the crew capsule would have been severely buffeted, and the crew was
aware of sensor readings indicating major problems.
Several people say information about the last moments of the shuttle
could help save lives in the future.
"It's a pretty good container they have the crew in; that's the last
part to come apart, just like it was in Challenger," said one investigator
with the board, referring to the fatal shuttle accident in January 1986. "It
stayed together for a pretty long time."
The investigator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that
the loss of the Columbia was now viewed as preventable because the damage on
liftoff that doomed the shuttle was from a problem that had been previously
identified but not corrected, foam falling from the external tank and
striking the orbiter.
He added, "As we sit there thinking about what they were going
through, or what their last thoughts were, it kind of angers you."
. ..
> On Feb 24 (http://www.msnbc.com/news/875772.asp?0dm=T218T) I wrote:
> "New analysis of the garbled last 32 seconds of radio signals from the
space
> shuttle Columbia has raised the possibility that the crew survived up to a
> minute after the spaceship began tumbling out of control and breaking up.
"
> This was also described in a Nightly News piece by Bob Hager using my
> material. This theory was confirmed a few weeks later by the OEX recorder
> data.
>
>
>
It's also a front page story on the NY Times today:
<excerpt:>
ARTICLE TOOLS
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Format
Most E-Mailed Articles
Reprints
Single-Page Format
TIMES NEWS TRACKER
Topics Alerts
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Space Shuttle
Accidents and Safety
Recording Equipment
Crew of Columbia Survived a Minute After Last Signal
By JOHN SCHWARTZ and MATTHEW L. WALD
he Columbia astronauts lived for almost a minute after their final
communication with mission control, well after signs that the craft was in
serious trouble, investigators at NASA and the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board said yesterday.
Investigators are scrutinizing data from an on-board sensor recording
system that continued to function far into the breakup of the Columbia for
clues about how to improve the survivability of future space vehicles,
possibly even the three remaining shuttles.
NASA is planning to disclose more information soon about the fate of
the crew, drawing from analysis of debris, information on where the debris
was found and data from an on-board data recorder, according to people
involved in the investigation.
While some news reports after the Feb. 1 accident suggested that the
astronauts died as soon as the shuttle broke apart, the space agency and the
investigation board have been circumspect about any such details. Even in
the hangar at the Kennedy Space Center, the debris from the crew cabin is
laid out separately in a private area, and officials have promised to not
disclose what they characterize as morbid details. Records indicate, though,
that the crew capsule would have been severely buffeted, and the crew was
aware of sensor readings indicating major problems.
Several people say information about the last moments of the shuttle
could help save lives in the future.
"It's a pretty good container they have the crew in; that's the last
part to come apart, just like it was in Challenger," said one investigator
with the board, referring to the fatal shuttle accident in January 1986. "It
stayed together for a pretty long time."
The investigator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that
the loss of the Columbia was now viewed as preventable because the damage on
liftoff that doomed the shuttle was from a problem that had been previously
identified but not corrected, foam falling from the external tank and
striking the orbiter.
He added, "As we sit there thinking about what they were going
through, or what their last thoughts were, it kind of angers you."