In message , Stuf4
writes
From Gene DiGennaro:

I still think that had the crew of both 51L and 107 were able to
separate from the orbiter's airframe, they were still doomed. I have
heard that if 51L crew had parachutes, they could have bailed out of
the crew cabin. I have also heard a similar argument for 107.

Any oldtimers here remember the A-3 Skywarrior or the F3D Skynight?
Both of these early jets had an escape chute or slide to bail out of
the aircraft. It worked ONLY when the aircraft was in smooth level
flight. ( Gee if the plane was in smooth level flight, why would you
want to bail out?) The slides were useless in a spinning, out of
control situation that is most common when pilots eject.

I would agree that module stability is essential for success. This
would need to be a design requirement.

As to bailing out while flying straight and level, shuttle crews
practice this for every mission (obviously, not having the energy
capability to make a suitable runway is one reason for doing so).

Just how do you practice bailing out of a space shuttle? When I read
about this I'm reminded of the opening of "Encounter with Tiber" where
they lose one crew member during the bail out and another drowns.
--
"Forty millions of miles it was from us, more than forty millions of miles of
void"