Seconds From Disaster - Space Shuttle Challenger

**flightsimmer2010** · #1 07-08-2011, 08:04 AM

since this is the day for the final flight of the shuttle. i just noticed this on you tube. when the challenger exploded in 86' they confirmed that the O ring were at fault, and super hot gas was venting
it also said as the rockets were fireing up to thrust the shuttle "twanged" which caused the O ring to open. but as she cleared the tower 'slag" from the solid rocket fuel was sealing the gap caused by the O ring.
when she climed past what is called "max Q" she was hit broadside by a 300mph head wind that cause it to shutter and knocked the 'slag' seal from the o ring gap.
so the challenger was blown out of the sky from turbulence?
it can be found here on you tube do a search
Seconds From Disaster - Space Shuttle Challenger

Zathros · #2 07-08-2011, 08:11 AM

If the seals and the design were right, then the head wind would not have made any difference.

**Mechanic** · #3 07-08-2011, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zathros

If the seals and the design were right, then the head wind would not have made any difference.

Not to be argumentative

, but I would say that the seals were designed 'right'. The issue behind the seal failure was the temprature conditions before, and at, launch.
I don't know if I saw the same program, but what I recall was that pressure readings indicated normal until the shuttle took a pretty good jolt, and then pressure readings continued to degrade until failure, but it was still speculative as to whether or not it would have made it to SRB separation without the jolt. The windshear (oh, I hate to use that word because of what some people think it means) seems to have been caught on a relatively recently released video:

**paulhbell** · #4 07-09-2011, 06:03 AM

Don't forget that the booster seal had leaked from T0 (liftoff). Black smoke/powder is seen on lots of photos just after booster ignition. Also some of the guys that objected to launching that day, thought that the stack would blow on the pad straight after ignition, one of the tech's actually said that they had dodged a bullet that day, then 70 secs later Challenger was no more.