Word: columbias
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...THIS THE FIRST TIME GAP FILLER HAS CAUSED SUCH A PROBLEM? No. Shuttles have flown more than 100 times and the filler has always been a part of them. In 1995, the shuttle Columbia returned with a protruding piece. On other shuttles, it?s likely some filler worked free but burned away during reentry. The fact that the underside of Discovery was photographed so carefully on this mission to look for chipped tiles is the only reason the filler problem turned up this time...
ANATOMY OF A FLAW NASA spent more than two years and $1 billion to make sure that the accident that doomed Columbia in 2003 couldn't happen again. Despite assurances that it was safe to launch Discovery, several pieces of foam broke free during takeoff last week, forcing an embarrassed NASA to put all future flights on hold...
...climb dangerously high ?FOAM DEBRIS The biggest chunk was 2 to 3 ft. wide (0.6 to 0.9 m), about 1 ft. long (0.3 m) and up to 8 in. (20 cm) thick; it probably weighed 0.9 lbs. (0.4 kg), about half the size of the piece that downed Columbia ?THE TROUBLESOME RAMP Most of the falling bits came from the so-called PAL ramp, a ridge of hand-sprayed foam designed to protect fuel lines from buffeting on takeoff ?EXTERNAL FUEL TANK The tank, 154 ft. (47 m) tall and 27.6 ft. (8.4 m) wide, carries...
...leading edges of the shuttle's wings--and the atmosphere surrounding them--could heat to as much as 3000ºF (1650ºC). Any chink in the shuttle's heat-resistant armor could allow superheated air to penetrate unprotected areas, where it would act like a blowtorch--the same process that destroyed Columbia ?TILE DAMAGE One gouge is close to the wheel well, where an influx of hot gases could cause an explosion
...DIED. JOHN BALDRY, 64, British blues-rock singer who influenced some of the biggest names in British music, from Mick Jagger to Rod Stewart to Elton John; of a severe chest infection; in Vancouver, British Columbia. Nicknamed Long John because of his 2-m. height, Baldry recruited some of rock's future stars early in their careers to play in his backing bands, inspiring them with his dedication and music. (Elton John, born Reginald Dwight, even chose his surname in honor of Baldry.) He recorded more than 40 albums and also had a successful voiceover career, receiving a 1998 Grammy...