Doug... wrote:

In article , says...

OM wrote:


...From CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/0....ap/index.html

...Tom Wheeler take note: Now *that* is a hole.


I was wondering if anyone knows why the panels in the test were
gray colored while those on the shuttles are black? They said
that the hole would probably not be seen because the black interior of
the hole would not be noticeable against the black panel.


I'm not sure who the "they" are that you're referring to, but "they" may
have been discussing the problem of tile damage back when it seemed that
damaged tiles and not RCC panels were the cause of the catastrophe. The
RCC panels are, and have always been, a darkish gray.


A quote from the above URL:
"Hubbard said it is questionable whether the best set of cameras
trained on the shuttle during liftoff would have detected such a large
hole, if they had been in focus, and they were not. He declined to say
whether spy satellites would have observed such damage, but he noted
that it was a black hole in a black piece of reinforced carbon."

Also I recall seeing photos of Columbia when it was being readied
for flight. The Panels were black not the gray of the test panels.
Larry



A hole the size that was made in the test today *would* probably have
been visible in the best imagery we could have gotten of Columbia on-
orbit. It's hard to say whether or not the actual damage to Columbia was
that large, though. It was definitely enough to cause the destruction of
the vehicle, of course... *sigh*...