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Debris is Shuttle's Biggest Threat

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the yeah-my-cars-paint-job-has-the-same-problem dept.

Masq666 writes "Tiny rocks, paint flecks and other fragments of junk whizzing around the Earth pose the greatest threat to the shuttles and the astronauts on board, according to the preliminary results of a new NASA risk study. Even coin sized fragments can cause great damage to a shuttle, and the damage can be lethal, if it hits the windows or the heat shield."

5 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. debris?? pftt by Whammy666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think exploding fuel tanks and foam insulation have done far more damage than any paint flecks. The biggest threat to the shuttle is management overriding safety concerns in favor of keeping schedules or to save money.

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    When all else fails, run.
    1. Re:debris?? pftt by Richard_at_work · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And that, my friend, is the problem. In todays culture, something actually has to HAPPEN and happen publically before the general populace would take it seriously. How many people thought the danger of a booster rocket leaking was greater than financial concerns before Challenger? How many people were worried about the foam covered fuel tanks before Columbia?

  2. A new NASA "risk study", eh? by Noose+For+A+Neck · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Is this the same "risk study" that they failed to do when they arbitrarily decided to destroy the Hubble telescope rather than repair their most successful scientific mission to date?

    Just wondering, because I read that since Congress actually called them out on it, they're trying to retroactively produce their risk analysis to justify the decision, and this is the kind of bullshit that sounds an awful lot like their same old "we're too scared to do anything anymore" attitude.

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    Software piracy is victimless theft.

  3. Re:Little bits of rock... by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

    actually, that's bullshit.

    at the velocities they go they're not likely to bump off, big or not. big one is just going to go through your armor. your prof would have said that it's even bigger issue if you hit a wall with that speed.

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    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  4. Re:Slow news day? by wdd1040 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How many satellites are destroyed on a daily basis by this debris?

    If something is up there 24/7 and doesn't have the problem, then I'd say the risk is currently small enough for the shuttle.

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    wdd