Anyone see the video of Nasa firing foam at the Shuttle test wing?

[tnitsuj]

I could have sworn I heard a bunch of people in the background gasping at the damage...anyone else hear that?

 

[NeoV]

Indeed, there was plenty of gasping....

 

[guyver01]

yup. i guess they didnt think a 1x1 block of foam would do THAT much damage to a carbon/carbon tile... way more damage than anyone thought.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/07/07/sprj.colu.shuttle.investigation/index.html

check it out
A chunk of foam insulation fired at shuttle wing parts blows open a gaping 16-inch hole.

They have the test video there.

 

[MacGaven]

I said "Holy Sh!t!" myself when viewing the video.

 

[conjur]

I haven't seen the video.

Did they shoot that foam at 500mph directly at the wing? At a 90degree angle? Or was it a deflective shot, more closely resembling what happened 22 seconds into the flight??

 

[Quixfire]

The wife and I watched the ABC special on this last night. It's hard to believe that they, NASA, knew this happened on every shuttle launch.

 

[Encryptic]

Originally posted by: MacGaven
I said "Holy Sh!t!" myself when viewing the video.

Saw it last night on the news. Still can't believe that a chunk of FOAM could do that much damage. If our space program can be derailed by a chunk of foam hitting the space shuttle, I weep for the future....

 

[filmmaker]

That's insane

 

[tnitsuj]

Well I guess I heard right then. My jaw dropped and I said something along the lines of "Holy Sh!t" when I saw it too. Amazing and sobering at the same time. If some of the greatest minds this country (heck a lot of other countries too) couldn't predict that happening......wow!!

 

[Amorphus]

dude, this isn't your styrofoam junk. the foam they use is rock hard. you could use it as a hammer and you'd break the nail.

okay, maybe not that much, unless the nail had a large head, but still, very hard stuff. at 500mph, water could punch through the wing.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Encryptic

Originally posted by: MacGaven
I said "Holy Sh!t!" myself when viewing the video.

Saw it last night on the news. Still can't believe that a chunk of FOAM could do that much damage. If our space program can be derailed by a chunk of foam hitting the space shuttle, I weep for the future....

Let me fire a piece of foam at you at 500mph and see how you hold up.

 

[NogginBoink]

My question is whether or not 500MPH reasonably reflects the actual conditions at launch.

When the foam broke off and started to fall, did it really impact the wing at a 500mph speed differential?

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: NogginBoink
My question is whether or not 500MPH reasonably reflects the actual conditions at launch.

When the foam broke off and started to fall, did it really impact the wing at a 500mph speed differential?

yep

The foam was initially moving at the speed of the shuttle, but wind resistance and low mass slowed it down quick.

 

[Harvey]

What suprises me is that they were so skeptical before the test. It's a simple arithmetic. Mass x Velocity / Area. It may take a direct hit on a specifically vulnerable part of the structure, but if I read the reports correctly, they knew about this possiblity long ago. That means it was just a matter of time until something like this happened, and it should have been enough reason to attack the problem, instead of ignoring it.

I had more faith in NASA's work ethic.

 

[sharkeeper]

Direct link to video for those interested...

-DAK-

 

[Passions]

I have a hard time believing that foam would travel at 500mph.

 

[Mallow]

I don't think this stuff is normal consumer foam... this is tough, coarse insulating foam and has a much greater density than what we all commonly think of as foam. Never the less, astonishing results.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: BOBBY RIBS
I have a hard time believing that foam would travel at 500mph.

It's not like the shuttle was standing still... A 500mph impact doesn't mean that the foam itself was moving at 500mph.