'Photograph shows cracks on shuttle's wing'

[oracle]

'Photograph shows cracks on shuttle's wing' (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1044282781427B212&se t_id=1)

February 03 2003 at 05:34PM

Jerusalem - The Israeli newspaper Maariv on Monday published a picture of the American space shuttle Columbia apparently showing two cracks on its left wing.

The picture was taken 11 days before the shuttle broke up on its way back to Earth on Saturday, killing all seven crew members.

The photograph was extracted from footage taken by a camera onboard the shuttle during a live satellite video conference between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Colonel Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli to travel to space.

During the 15-minute conversation with Sharon and other Israeli officials, Ramon offered to share his view of Earth from the shuttle.

The video caught part of the shuttle's left wing, showing two "long" cracks, according to the newspaper.

The fissures could have been the cause of the technical problems experienced by the shuttle which led to its breakup over Texas, 16 minutes before it was due to land, the newspaper stated.

"Even if Nasa had discovered the cracks that appeared at take-off, it would not have been able to do anything to save the crew," the article read.

The newspaper report drew a guarded response from Tim Stevenson, an engineer at the Space Research Centre at Britain's University of Leicester.

In a telephone interview Stevenson said that although he had not seen the pictures, what appeared to be cracks might actually be a trick of light.

...


Click here to read more (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1044282781427B212&se t_id=1)

[SunnyBrook]

Here is the original photo from the Israeli newspaper:
http://www.maarivenglish.com/Columbia%20Comp.jpg

Maariv Newspaper (http://www.maarivenglish.com/index.htm)

[ QUOTE ]
The left wing of the Columbia shuttle from a picture taken out of the shuttle's window. The picture was taken from the news program "Erev Hadash" from Israeli television.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
02-03-03 On the fifth day of his journey into space, Ilan Ramon spoke with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon through a video link. He presented the prime minister his view out of the windows of the Columbia shuttle and right there on the surface of the wing on the left side you could see a long crack and a dent. Eleven days after, it was that very same wing that broke off the shuttle and finally brought it to its destruction. Even if NASA knew about the damage from the moment it happened, they could have done nothing except pray.

According to Aharon Lapidot, a well respected aviation expert in Israel, the left wing theory is the most plausible explanation for the shuttle disaster.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting...

I suppose we should have known the LEFT WING was to blame. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Dash_Riprock]

Shadows and tricks of light.

[Warlady]

They don't look like shadows and tricks of light to me.

[Dash_Riprock]

Granted, it looks like a crack.

However, I can't see the shuttle surviving even the initial stages of reentry with a wing as badly compromised as that image would suggest. I also can't see the astronauts spending two weeks up there and none of them looking out the window and saying, "What the hell is that?", during the entire time. Ilan was an experienced fighter pilot, he's seen wing cracks before. He would have noticed.

Anything is possible, but that is a tremendous crack (assuming the image represents what it purports).

[**DONOTDELETE**]

[ QUOTE ]
I also can't see the astronauts spending two weeks up there and none of them looking out the window and saying, "What the hell is that?", during the entire time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please don't think that I'm being disrespectful to the terrible tragedy that happened but...that remark, Dash, is very funny. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Dash_Riprock]

Well, I wasn't trying to make light of the situation either. I just find it difficult to believe that no one would notice a flaw of that magnitude.

I certainly would have noticed it.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

So would I! That's why I agree with you that those pictures could look like that because of the lighting.

[Dash_Riprock]

They just a had a demonstration on NBC News of the material the tiles are made of. The scientist held a small cube of the material in his hand and applied a 2000 degree flame from a blow torch for several seconds. It didn't scorch the surface in the least, and when he put the cube in the reporter's hand--with the heated surface against the palm of the reporter's hand--the reporter said it felt no hotter than warm toast.

Pretty amazing stuff.

[2nd_Amendment]

Well, one thing that bears consideration: They may well have looked out that window, saw the damage and went on. Honestly, we have no idea what might have been discussed between ground and the crew. And as has been noted elsewhere, what choices would they have had? Stay and die, come home and maybe die.

Somehow I don't think we of the great unwashed would be made privy to any discussions which basically boiled down to "Sorry guys but all we've got is bad news and worse news". In fact, the more I think about it the more I think it unlikely we'd be told. Can you imagine the sheeple outcry if NASA announced there was a major potential problem and then lost them?

[EagleTed]

Doesn't even look like the wing to me. Looks like a naugahyde window seal inside the shuttle. There's no large black cylinder on the wings that I'm aware of.

[Chris]

It could be the inside of the window frame that we are seeing too.