New photos unearthed from the doomed Challenger shuttle launch

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
51,465
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BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
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Idiots at NASA were told by the SRB manufacturer that "significant" blow-by had occurred at the O-rigs at 50 degrees F and the temp at launch was around 28, since the launch had been delayed twice for other technical reasons they made Morton Thiokol sign off the SRB's as "safe" for launch or face them losing the contract to someone else, the result, seven dead astronuts (including one teacher) and a destroyed ship..
 

SandEagle

Lifer
Aug 4, 2007
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i remember watching this on the news as it went down. its one of the few things thats been etched in memory. RIP.
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
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That's sad. So some of them may have still been alive after the explosion?

They believe they survived until the cabin hit the ocean. They do know that at a minimum, Judy Resnik survived as she had turned on the oxygen for the pilot and copilot (she was behind them and the switch was within her reach).
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
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http://imgur.com/a/6t1HW

A guy found them in his grandparent's old photographs:

http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1v8jil/i_was_going_through_boxes_of_my_grandparents_old/

I also did not know that the crew was alive after the explosion...based on the evidence, experts believe they were alive for nearly 3 minutes, until the crew module hit the ocean:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078062/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/chapter-eternity-descent

:rose:

Seriously, you didn't know the crew was alive until it hit the ocean? What planet do you live on? This has been common knowledge for at least a decade if not more.:whiste::whiste:
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
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Seriously, you didn't know the crew was alive until it hit the ocean? What planet do you live on? This has been common knowledge for at least a decade if not more.:whiste::whiste:

That still really sucks. I'd much rather be killed in the explosion. Falling for minutes knowing your impending death is coming probably has to be one of the worst feelings one could ever experience. Hopefully they did not suffer for long...
 

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,498
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I think was 5th grade for me. Was pretty tough, though Columbia was worse as an adult, seeing the debris and knowing the result, but hoping. The crew in Columbia most likely had some warning that the end was near also, rather than immediate.

The crazy thing is that they all signed up to take risks -- but having bureaucrats and administrator's doing them in should be criminal in my eyes.
 

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
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Seriously, you didn't know the crew was alive until it hit the ocean? What planet do you live on? This has been common knowledge for at least a decade if not more.:whiste::whiste:

Do you really think you're a better person than others because you know some random trivia?
 

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
26,256
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Seriously, you didn't know the crew was alive until it hit the ocean? What planet do you live on? This has been common knowledge for at least a decade if not more.:whiste::whiste:
I didn't know it until just a few minutes ago after reading the article in the OP. I knew about the disaster but never looked into it beyond knowing it blew up in midair. It's not obvious they lived the whole way down from looking at pictures and video.
 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
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That's sad. So some of them may have still been alive after the explosion?

After the investigation they found indications at least one crew member had switched O2 supply after the explosion. So yes they were probably alive all the way to the ocean.
 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
17,634
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That's an amazing photo and one I've never seen. Look how intact it is -- from this distance at least, it looks like it broke away cleanly.

It did. It was one of the strongest parts of the vehicle due to it being required to hold pressure.
 
Mar 10, 2005
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Do you really think you're a better person than others because you know some random trivia?

i'll take "better person from knowing random trivia" over "dipshit under a rock that don't know nuthin' about nuthin' no-how"

and, the challenger loss isn't random trivia. it certainly ranks as a major event of the 20th century.
 

dainthomas

Lifer
Dec 7, 2004
14,930
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It did. It was one of the strongest parts of the vehicle due to it being required to hold pressure.

A couple parachutes attached to the module would have been nice. Wouldn't think it would add that much weight.

This was a great movie I caught last year:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

William Hurt does a great job as Feynman (and Dennehey as that slimeball Rogers). Even knowing the ending, it was quite suspenseful.