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NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 13th 06, 04:12 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
[email protected]
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Posts: 224
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)


Remember the question why NASA did not release their results on the
in orbit repair options for Columbia? It seems the results were too
unwanted obvious:


http://www.stpns.net/view_article.ht...43251064362304

Astronaut Talks Of Shuttle Disasters, Life In Space
By John Larson for Mountain Mail, November 09, 2006

Both space shuttle disasters, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, could
have been survivable, said former NASA astronaut and aeronautical engineer
Sid Gutierrez of Albuquerque.
....
As an Air Force instructor, fighter, and test pilot, he flew over 30
different types of airplanes, sailplanes, balloons and rockets. He
logged more than 4,500 hours of flying time. Gutierrez is a native
New Mexican born in Albuquerque, and currently a department manager
at Sandia National Laboratories.
....
Gutierrez said the fault lies in two words: "engineering arrogance".

ôNASA engineers were confident that they did everything right,ö Gutierrez
said. ôThey were so sure everything would work as planned they didnÆt
think an escape system was necessary. The fact is, if there had been
an escape system on Columbia and Challenger, the crews could have
survived.ö
....

As a NASA astronaut Gutierrez was pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia on
STS-40 in June, 1991, and commander of Endeavor on STS-59 in April, 1994.

In February 2003 Columbia disintegrated above Texas while re-entering
the earthÆs atmosphere.

ôIf the engineers at NASA had looked closer at the video that showed the
foam hitting the orbiterÆs wing, the crew could have done something about
the hole in the leading edge of the wing once they were in orbit,ö he
said.

He said something as simple as wet towels forming a several-inches-thick
layer of ice would have been enough to keep hot gasses from burning into
the crack in the leading edge.

ôThere was no escape system in place on the Columbia, either,ö Gutierrez
said. ôThe breakup started at about 200,000 feet. With oxygen masks, the
crew wouldÆve at least had some chance at surviving if theyÆd had a
parachute system.ö

He said the shuttle is the most dangerous space vehicle ever flown.



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  #3  
Old November 13th 06, 05:36 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
Jim Oberg[_1_]
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Posts: 440
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)


"Jorge R. Frank" wrote
Gutierrez is wrong. And it turns out, so were NASA's results from the CAIB
report. The three years of work that have gone into RCC repair capability
since that report have made clear that the in-flight repair options for
Columbia would not have worked.


It's not even clear whether the proposals would have delayed breakup
a few minutes, or hastened it due to higher drag. I'd like to believe that
an attempted repair would have given the ship another minute or two
to get lower and slower, and perhaps cross the boundary where
suited crewmembers thrown free by the cabin break-up might, might,
just might have survived to low enough that their parachutes would
have saved them. But at any altitude, co-existing even briefly with a
debris cloud of jagged metal is problematical. It's what I was saying the
first hour of the live coverage with ABC, when I talked on-air from my
home: the odds of survival were low but not zero and in the initial hours
post-breakup all efforts must focus and looking for parachutes on the
ground because anybody getting out of the ship alive would need help
really bad.

Had there been warning, you also bet that there wouldn't have been
anybody in the ship doing entry without helmets and gloves -- an
appalling failure of safety practices, in real life, but sadly consistent
with safety standards that had crept up on some (not all, or even most)
of the team.


  #4  
Old November 13th 06, 06:24 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
Brian Gaff
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Posts: 2,312
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)

Yes, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
wrote in message
...

Remember the question why NASA did not release their results on the
in orbit repair options for Columbia? It seems the results were too
unwanted obvious:


http://www.stpns.net/view_article.ht...43251064362304

Astronaut Talks Of Shuttle Disasters, Life In Space
By John Larson for Mountain Mail, November 09, 2006

Both space shuttle disasters, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003,
could
have been survivable, said former NASA astronaut and aeronautical engineer
Sid Gutierrez of Albuquerque.
...
As an Air Force instructor, fighter, and test pilot, he flew over 30
different types of airplanes, sailplanes, balloons and rockets. He
logged more than 4,500 hours of flying time. Gutierrez is a native
New Mexican born in Albuquerque, and currently a department manager
at Sandia National Laboratories.
...
Gutierrez said the fault lies in two words: "engineering arrogance".

ôNASA engineers were confident that they did everything right,ö Gutierrez
said. ôThey were so sure everything would work as planned they didnÆt
think an escape system was necessary. The fact is, if there had been
an escape system on Columbia and Challenger, the crews could have
survived.ö
...

As a NASA astronaut Gutierrez was pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia on
STS-40 in June, 1991, and commander of Endeavor on STS-59 in April, 1994.

In February 2003 Columbia disintegrated above Texas while re-entering
the earthÆs atmosphere.

ôIf the engineers at NASA had looked closer at the video that showed the
foam hitting the orbiterÆs wing, the crew could have done something about
the hole in the leading edge of the wing once they were in orbit,ö he
said.

He said something as simple as wet towels forming a several-inches-thick
layer of ice would have been enough to keep hot gasses from burning into
the crack in the leading edge.

ôThere was no escape system in place on the Columbia, either,ö Gutierrez
said. ôThe breakup started at about 200,000 feet. With oxygen masks, the
crew wouldÆve at least had some chance at surviving if theyÆd had a
parachute system.ö

He said the shuttle is the most dangerous space vehicle ever flown.



## CrossPoint v3.12d R ##



  #5  
Old November 13th 06, 06:39 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
Pat Flannery
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Posts: 18,465
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)



Jim Oberg wrote:

I'd like to believe that
an attempted repair would have given the ship another minute or two
to get lower and slower, and perhaps cross the boundary where
suited crewmembers thrown free by the cabin break-up might, might,
just might have survived to low enough that their parachutes would
have saved them. But at any altitude, co-existing even briefly with a
debris cloud of jagged metal is problematical.


Don't forget some of the other stuff that would have been in the area;
the footage of the break-up made it look like the OMS pods and nose RCS
exploded as it got lower, so you might have been jumping into a cloud of
hydrazine and UDMH, which wouldn't have helped your pressure suit or
parachute any.

Had there been warning, you also bet that there wouldn't have been
anybody in the ship doing entry without helmets and gloves -- an
appalling failure of safety practices, in real life, but sadly consistent
with safety standards that had crept up on some (not all, or even most)
of the team.


Yeah, that was a real sloppy thing to do. They were getting very lax
about things, and Story Musgrave's standing reentry really set a bad
example in that regard.

Pat
  #6  
Old November 13th 06, 07:25 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
Jim Oberg[_1_]
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Posts: 440
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)


"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
. uk...
Yes, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?


the sad part is how the people who were worried AT THAT TIME were
bullied before the disaster, and side-lined afterwards out of embarrassment.


  #7  
Old November 13th 06, 07:48 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
[email protected]
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Posts: 1,516
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)

Certinally a launch boost escape system is still needed........

Hey lets fly and take our chances, its worked fine so far

That attitude got us challenger and columbia and sadly probaby will
again, but THAT will be the last flight!

  #8  
Old November 13th 06, 08:57 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
Danny Dot[_1_]
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Posts: 481
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)


"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...

"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
. uk...
Yes, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?


the sad part is how the people who were worried AT THAT TIME were
bullied before the disaster, and side-lined afterwards out of
embarrassment.


Bullied is the right word. That is what I have been saying. NASA culture
is a bully culture.

Danny Dot


  #9  
Old November 13th 06, 11:48 PM posted to sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.history
Neil Gerace
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Posts: 326
Default NASA Astronaut on Columbia Repair (and others)

"Danny Dot" wrote in message
...

"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...

"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
. uk...
Yes, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?


the sad part is how the people who were worried AT THAT TIME were
bullied before the disaster, and side-lined afterwards out of
embarrassment.


Bullied is the right word. That is what I have been saying. NASA culture
is a bully culture.


In that case it shares it with every other large organisation. People just
protecting their jobs.


 




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