Comments on: Images of Endeavour’s Tiles http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:47:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Carl http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31113 Carl Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:31:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31113 Thanks Mark. It's good to know I'm not the only one! Thanks Mark. It’s good to know I’m not the only one!

]]> By: Ellipsis http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31104 Ellipsis Sat, 18 Aug 2007 06:16:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31104 I think they'll be all right. A gouge in 2 tiles is very different than a hole in a leading edge. NASA does need a safety administration that is truly independent of the administrator, though (mainly for issues other than this). In fact, NASA could use an establishment of a level of contractually life-tenured faculty that are formally independent research (and safety, and other important things) leaders. I think they’ll be all right. A gouge in 2 tiles is very different than a hole in a leading edge.

NASA does need a safety administration that is truly independent of the administrator, though (mainly for issues other than this). In fact, NASA could use an establishment of a level of contractually life-tenured faculty that are formally independent research (and safety, and other important things) leaders.

]]> By: Neil B. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31112 Neil B. Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:43:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31112 Did NASA release a detailed explanation of why it wasn't bad enough to repair (in their opinion) or just a basic statement to that effect? Did NASA release a detailed explanation of why it wasn’t bad enough to repair (in their opinion) or just a basic statement to that effect?

]]> By: Mark B. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31107 Mark B. Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:17:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31107 Carl - I saw it as a bulge too -- after I saw your comment I squinted at it the way I do to "flip" a drawing of a cube, and, voila! -- it's a gouge now! Carl - I saw it as a bulge too — after I saw your comment I squinted at it the way I do to “flip” a drawing of a cube, and, voila! — it’s a gouge now!

]]> By: Carl http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31105 Carl Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:52:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31105 Thanks for the photo. I hadn't seen that yet. Anyone have any thoughts about why this appears to be a bulge instead of a gouge to me? I'm guessing it is something to do with the lighting, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I've tried rotating, flipping, and inverting the image, but still get that buldge illusion. I have seen this in many photos, especially those of unfamilar landscapes with unusual lighting (think moonscape with the light from an odd angle). Is it just me, or other people seeing the same thing? Thanks for the photo. I hadn’t seen that yet.

Anyone have any thoughts about why this appears to be a bulge instead of a gouge to me? I’m guessing it is something to do with the lighting, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’ve tried rotating, flipping, and inverting the image, but still get that buldge illusion. I have seen this in many photos, especially those of unfamilar landscapes with unusual lighting (think moonscape with the light from an odd angle). Is it just me, or other people seeing the same thing?

]]> By: Mark http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31106 Mark Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:32:48 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31106 a cornelian - there wasn't one with the photos, but here's what today's NYT story had to say <blockquote>The shuttle suffered the damage when a piece of foam, about 4 inches by 3.8 inches by 1.8 inches, fell off the external fuel tank 58 seconds after liftoff and hit the underside. The gouge is about three inches wide. Over a small area, 0.2 inches by 1 inch, the gouge passes through the entire thickness of the tile.</blockquote> a cornelian - there wasn’t one with the photos, but here’s what today’s NYT story had to say

The shuttle suffered the damage when a piece of foam, about 4 inches by 3.8 inches by 1.8 inches, fell off the external fuel tank 58 seconds after liftoff and hit the underside. The gouge is about three inches wide. Over a small area, 0.2 inches by 1 inch, the gouge passes through the entire thickness of the tile.

]]> By: a cornellian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31111 a cornellian Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:46:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31111 scale bar? scale bar?

]]> By: Sammy R http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31110 Sammy R Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:47:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31110 It does seem to be pretty common, so I guess it must always have been. But the risks of it weren't appreciated before. It does seem to be pretty common, so I guess it must always have been. But the risks of it weren’t appreciated before.

]]> By: Coin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31108 Coin Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:52:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31108 What I'm still not clear on is, are we sure this is something unusual? Or is it possible that this kind of tile damage has been happening every other flight for years, and it's just that we never started noticing it until one instance of such damage destroyed Columbia? What I’m still not clear on is, are we sure this is something unusual? Or is it possible that this kind of tile damage has been happening every other flight for years, and it’s just that we never started noticing it until one instance of such damage destroyed Columbia?

]]> By: Quasar9 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31109 Quasar9 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:15:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/16/images-of-endeavours-tiles/#comment-31109 Just as well the crew think or hope they can repair it. Imagine if Endeavour wasn't fit to withstand re-entry and we had to send another shuttle to bring the crew back down Alas, the very real risks of low earth orbit and 'outer' space travel Just as well the crew think or hope they can repair it.
Imagine if Endeavour wasn’t fit to withstand re-entry
and we had to send another shuttle to bring the crew back down
Alas, the very real risks of low earth orbit and ‘outer’ space travel

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