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NASA's Foam Test Offers Lesson in Kinetic Energy
Puneet submitted a followup story on the foam test that NASA conducted to get an idea of what sort of damage could be caused by foam falling off the shuttle fuel tank at launch. As it turns out: a lot.
> F = Ma
It's not really force/acceleration that's important, it's kinetic energy and momentum:
Kinetic Energy = 0.5 * mass * (velocity^2)
Momentum = mass * velocity
So a 1g spec of dirt travelling at 20,000mph has the same momentum as a 1KG block travelling at 20mph - something best avoided!
The videos are here (where the panel visibly ripples after the impact) and here.
The accompanying slide presentation has the details: the 1.7 pound foam block was fired at 531 mph and, where it struck a T-seal between two panels, displaced them and caused a 4/10 inch gap. This fake wing was made of fiberglass, but given the results, a test with actual shuttle wing material from the Space Shuttle Discovery is planned for today.
Here are some of the headlines from news.google.com:
Shuttle Wing Under Gun
Investigator Amazed by Shuttle Foam Force
Foam theory faces pivotal test
Tests Show Foam Causing Wing of Shuttle to Deform
Foam chunk was shuttle's undoing, tests indicate
The article says he is the Director of NASA Ames research center, not that he *is* a rocket scientist. He is not a rocket scientist. His bio (http://www.arc.nasa.gov/about_ames/hubbard.html) from NASA shows him to be a long time administrator, with his original scientific background in radiation detection materials and devices.
So will people *PLEASE* quit insulting rocket scientists.
. there used to be a sig here.....
Almost. But you converted your 200 feet into miles -- which you weren't supposed to do. Using the correct numbers, you get (733^2)/400 = 1344 = about 42 g's. Since air resistance is proportional to a (very large) velocity, that doesn't seem too farfetched.
How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?