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During the launch of Columbia sixteen days before the disaster, a 2 1/2 pound and 20 inch piece of foam from the external fuel tank fell and hit the orbiter on the leading edge of the left wing. It caused a hole in the carbon-carbon protective tiles designed to prevent re-entry heat damaging the shuttle. Falling foam is not an unusual occurrence during launches. However, this piece was larger and struck the orbiter exactly at one of the critical points which heat the most during entry interface with the atmosphere. There was concern at the time from video footage of the launch that the orbiter had been struck, but Commander Rick Husband was assured by officials that it posed no danger.
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What happened on February 1 2003?
Space Shuttle Columbia, the first space worthy Space Shuttle, broke apart over East Texas due to a hole in it's left wing caused by foam from the ET during launch.
What caused the Columbia space shuttle to disintegrate?
During the launch of Columbia, foam from the external fuel tank had hit the orbiter's underside. Unknown to anyone at the time, it had punctured a hole in one of the insulating tiles on the wing. Although it was known that foam had hit Colombia, it was deemed to not have been sufficient to cause serious damage. As the orbiter with its crew of seven were re-entering the atmosphere, the heat generated by the re-entry caused warping of the orbiter's wing frame which affected the stability of the shuttle. Eventually all control was lost and forces pulled the orbiter apart above Texas. Commander Rick Husband bravely fought to control the shuttle manually in the seconds before all were killed.
Reason for Space Shuttle Columbia disaster?
Frozen chunk of insulating foam about the size of a small suitcase broke off tank and struck wing just after liftoff, shattering several leading edge carbon/ceramic high temperature tiles. On reentry the frictional heat with the air was able to get in this hole, melt the wing off, causing the shuttle to tumble out of control and burn up like a meteor.
How did the Discovery Space shuttle crash?
The space shuttle discovery hasn't crashed. The shuttle program has lost two of it's fleet. The first accident happened to the Challenger in 1986. It was caused by a faulty 'O' ring on one of the solid rocket boosters. When it failed it allowed the booster to pierce the external fuel tank. This caused a massive explosion. The second shuttle lost was the Columbia, which was the first shuttle that flew into space. It crashed because a large piece of foam came off of the external tank during the accent.The foam struck the leading edge of the wing and put a suitcase sized hole in it. During reentry, hot plasma rushed into the hole and destroyed the ships structure causing it to come apart and skid across the atmosphere and basically burn up. Many of its parts rained down across Texas.
What causes the space shuttle Columbia disaster?
Foam fell from the external tank during the launch. The foam struck the shuttles wing on the leading edge and punched a suitcase sized hole in it. During the reentry, hot plasma rushed into the hole and began to melt the structure of the shuttle from the inside out. This made the shuttle eventually go out of control and it broke apart in the atmosphere.
Why shuttle Columbia exploded in the air?
It exploded in the air due to a hole in the shuttle. Scientists later found that they were travelling in space with a hole in it.
What happened on February 1 2003?
Space Shuttle Columbia, the first space worthy Space Shuttle, broke apart over East Texas due to a hole in it's left wing caused by foam from the ET during launch.
What happened February 1 2003?
Space Shuttle Columbia, the first space worthy Space Shuttle, broke apart over East Texas due to a hole in it's left wing caused by foam from the ET during launch.
What caused the hole?
The antarctic hole is the ozone hole. It is caused by the CFC's.
What caused the antarctic hole?
The antarctic hole is the ozone hole. It is caused by the CFC's.
What caused the Columbia space shuttle to disintegrate?
During the launch of Columbia, foam from the external fuel tank had hit the orbiter's underside. Unknown to anyone at the time, it had punctured a hole in one of the insulating tiles on the wing. Although it was known that foam had hit Colombia, it was deemed to not have been sufficient to cause serious damage. As the orbiter with its crew of seven were re-entering the atmosphere, the heat generated by the re-entry caused warping of the orbiter's wing frame which affected the stability of the shuttle. Eventually all control was lost and forces pulled the orbiter apart above Texas. Commander Rick Husband bravely fought to control the shuttle manually in the seconds before all were killed.
Ozone hole in the atmosphere is largly caused by presence of?
Ozone hole is caused by CFC's. It is caused on PSC's.
Why would the woodpecker delay the space shuttle?
Woodpeckers are a problem for much the same reason as anything that would puncture a hole into the shuttle or its fuel tanks. In 1995, the shuttle 'Discovery' was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building only a week before launch because woodpeckers had drilled dozens of holes in the insulating foam of the external fuel tank. A hole in that tank would be explosive, and the effect would be similar to what happened in the Challenger explosion, where a chain of other events led to the puncture of the tank. When the shuttle Columbia was torn apart during reentry, the tiles on a crucial part of the orbiter had been damaged, allowing heat to enter and damage the frame of the shuttle's wing. So, a single bird could completely destroy a shuttle and its crew by drilling into the shuttle or its tanks just as a single piece of falling foam has already done.
Do rockets explode when they hit the atmosphere?
No, otherwise we wouldn't be able to launch them. They are especially designed to withstand the heat and forces so they will not do so during re-entry. With the space shuttle Columbiadisaster, the hole on the protective tiles, caused by falling foam at launch, allowed heat to enter and damage the wing structure. This affected the aerodynamics and vehicle stability, so the craft disintegrated rather than exploded.
What causes hole?
The antarctic hole is the ozone hole. It is caused by the CFC's.
Reason for Space Shuttle Columbia disaster?
Frozen chunk of insulating foam about the size of a small suitcase broke off tank and struck wing just after liftoff, shattering several leading edge carbon/ceramic high temperature tiles. On reentry the frictional heat with the air was able to get in this hole, melt the wing off, causing the shuttle to tumble out of control and burn up like a meteor.
How did the Discovery Space shuttle crash?
The space shuttle discovery hasn't crashed. The shuttle program has lost two of it's fleet. The first accident happened to the Challenger in 1986. It was caused by a faulty 'O' ring on one of the solid rocket boosters. When it failed it allowed the booster to pierce the external fuel tank. This caused a massive explosion. The second shuttle lost was the Columbia, which was the first shuttle that flew into space. It crashed because a large piece of foam came off of the external tank during the accent.The foam struck the leading edge of the wing and put a suitcase sized hole in it. During reentry, hot plasma rushed into the hole and destroyed the ships structure causing it to come apart and skid across the atmosphere and basically burn up. Many of its parts rained down across Texas.
