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Shuttle Data Recorder May be Key to Accident

Posted by michael on from the aftermath dept.

DreamerFi writes "A flight data recorder from the space shuttle Columbia, recovered last week in East Texas, contains readings that continue 14 seconds later than any previously studied data. Those readings are likely to play a crucial role in determining the cause of the shuttle's catastrophic breakup on Feb. 1."

3 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. Recorder not strengthened like black box by MyNameIsFred · · Score: 4, Informative
    There is a difference between a black box and a data recorder. A black box is specifically designed to withstand fire, water, and crashes. It contains beacons to help locate it after a crash. Whereas the shuttle recorder has none of these. It records data.

    During one of the original news conferences, a reporter asked if there was a black box, similar to those on aircraft. He was told no because NASA did not believe that they could design a black box that could survive a shuttle disaster. Did NASA lie? No, they told the truth, there are no black boxes designed to withstand a shuttle disaster.

  2. Columbia FAQ by MondoMor · · Score: 5, Informative

    This being Slashdot, there's a lot of people talking about things they know nothing about, and acting like experts.

    There's an excellent FAQ, that will clear up a lot of misconceptions, and hopefully shut up some of the ignorant pedants.

    If you're afraid it's a hidden goatse link, here it is naked:

    http://www.io.com/~o_m/home.html

  3. Re:The Shuttle is *extremely* difficult to land .. by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 4, Informative

    Nobody has done it except for the first crew.

    STS-112
    "Making his first hands-on landing, first-time shuttle commander Jeffrey Ashby took over manual control of the shuttle five minutes before touchdown as the spaceplane passed through 50,000 feet above the Florida spaceport. "

    STS-93
    "Update for 11:17 p.m. EDT
    Commander Eileen Collins is taking manual control of Columbia. Three minutes to touchdown. The shuttle has gone sub-sonic. Twin sonic booms now being heard in the local area around Kennedy Space Center."

    STS-113
    "Following a computer-controlled plunge to a point about 50,000 feet above the Kennedy Space Center, commander James Wetherbee, making a record fifth descent as a shuttle skipper, took over manual control and guided the spaceplane to a breezy landing, reports CBS News Space Consultant William Harwood."

    If I remember correctly, the first Shuttle pilot (dunno his name, some ex-Navy pilot)

    Pilot, Robert Crippen, USN
    Mission commander, John Young, USN

    I get most of my understanding of the Shuttle landing procedure from the X-Plane sim, which makes it very clear that it's extremely difficult for a human being to land the Shuttle...

    I would suspect that they have a leetle bit more training than you do.