Challenger Tragedy - In Depth, and Deeply Felt

Patchw0rk F0g writes "On this, the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, Jay Barbree has a moving and in-depth piece on this international disaster." From the article: "During several earlier shuttle missions, disaster did everything it could to crawl into the shuttle launch system and turn it into tumbling flaming wreckage. The primary O-rings on those flights suffered severe erosion from superheated gases, sometimes accompanied by lesser erosion. And the erosion had occurred after launch temperatures much higher than on this freezing Florida day -- 53 degrees was the lowest launch-time temperature up to that time. The booster engineers felt helpless. For months, they had been studying the O-ring seal problem. They knew a disaster was coming, but no one stepped forward and said, 'Stop this train until it's fixed.'"

Comments

Re:"international disaster"

[pallmall1]

An American space shuttle, with an all-American crew, including an American civilian blowing up is a tragedy, but it's not an "international" tragedy.

Does that mean the US gets to keep the moon?

Re:I remember exactly where I was...

[Usquebaugh]

I thought it was "OK we'll let her drive..."

I am running, I am running and dodging, I am runnning, dodging and ducking... it ain't easy in this nomex suit.

Re:This is one of the problems.....

[Sebby]

in making purchases based on the lowest possible price.

Exactly. That reminds me of the joke in Armegeddon:

Rockhound: "You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good, doesn't it?"

Re:"international disaster"

[Chowderbags]

So it's just like the rest of America!

Re:It bears repeating. But with government addenda

[srmalloy]

High Flight
  John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth(1),
And danced(2) the skies on laughter silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed(3) and joined the tumbling mirth(4)
Of sun-split clouds(5) and done a hundred things(6)
You have not dreamed of -- Wheeled and soared and swung(7)
High in the sunlit silence(8). Hov'ring there(9)
I've chased the shouting wind(10) along and flung(10)
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious(12), burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights(13) with easy grace,
Where never lark, or even eagle(14) flew;
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space(15),
Put out my hand(16), and touched the face of God.

FAA Supplement to "High Flight"
  (1) Pilots must ensure that all surly bonds have been slipped entirely before aircraft taxi or flight is attempted.
  (2) During periods of severe sky dancing, crew and passengers must keep seatbelts fastened. Crew should wear shoulder belts as provided.
  (3) Sunward climbs must not exceed the maximum permitted aircraft ceiling.
  (4) Passenger aircraft are prohibited from joining the tumbling mirth.
  (5) Pilots flying through sun-split clouds under VFR conditions must comply with all applicable minimum clearances.
  (6) Do not perform these hundred things in front of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors.
  (7) Wheeling, soaring, and swinging will not be attempted except in aircraft rated for such activities and within utility class weight limits.
  (8) Be advised that sunlit silence will occur only when a major engine malfunction has occurred.
  (9) "Hov'ring there" will constitute a highly reliable signal that a flight emergency is imminent.
  (10) Forecasts of shouting winds are available from the local FSS. Encounters with unexpected shouting winds should be reported by pilots.
  (11) Pilots flinging eager craft through footless halls of air are reminded that they alone are responsible for maintaining separation from other eager craft.
  (12) Should any crewmember or passenger experience delirium while in the burning blue, submit an irregularity report upon flight termination.
  (13) Windswept heights will be topped by a minimum of 1,000 feet to maintain VFR minimum separations.
  (14) Aircraft engine ingestion of, or impact with, larks or eagles should be reported to the FAA and the appropriate aircraft maintenance facility.
  (15) Aircraft operating in the high untrespassed sanctity of space must remain in IFR flight regardless of meteorological conditions and visibility.
  (16) Pilots and passengers are reminded that opening doors or windows in order to touch the face of God may result in loss of cabin pressure.

Re:I remember exactly where I was...

[DerelictMan]

I don't know what the mods are thinking, but that really isn't funny.

What? Too soon...?

Re:They were both bad and both survivable

[asdfghjklqwertyuiop]

Wow, this post is just hillarious. Have the crew jump out of the cabin after the explosion and have the chase planes catch them on the way down?

I love it when any space-related stories get posted here. Half of slashdot suddenly thinks they're rocket scientists. It can often be funny watching them try...

Re:"international disaster"

[Tim Browse]

Does that mean the US gets to keep the moon?

Only if the British and Spanish get to keep America.

Re:"international disaster"

[nacturation]

Does that mean the US gets to keep the moon?

Won't they have to borrow it back from Soviet Russia? Which brings me to the next necessarily lame part... in Soviet Russia, moon lands on you.