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Can't help of thinking of the foam strike causing the Columbia space shuttle disaster "Investigators into the Columbia accident have estimated that the dislodg

Can't help of thinking of the foam strike causing the Columbia space shuttle disaster "Investigators into the Columbia accident have estimated that the dislodged foam was about 19 by 11.5 by 5.5 inches (48 by 29 by 14 cm), weighed about 26.7 ounces, or 1.7 lb (0.75 kg) and impacted the Shuttle at nearly 530 mph (850 km/h). For the sake of a rough comparison, this block of foam would be about the same size and weight as a large loaf of bread."

JoeAltmaier 11y ago
That report bothers me. How did the foam achieve such a relative velocity? It was part of the Shuttle; it dislodged; it hit the shuttle further along. Does the report mean "impacted the Shuttle while both were travelling at nearly 530"?
- StringyBob 11y ago
  The shuttle was faster than mach 2 (and accelerating) at time of impact - I presume the foam had decelerated significantly between breaking off and hitting the wing. I suppose you could say the shuttle hit the foam rather than the other way round. http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-disasters/columbia-disaster/columbia-tragedy-repeated/ http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-disasters/columbia-...