Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!shadooby!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pdn!rnms1!dave From: dave@rnms1.paradyne.com (Dave Cameron (Consultant)) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: What happened? Could risk be higher? Message-ID: <6801@pdn.paradyne.com> Date: 3 Dec 89 02:22:17 GMT References: <5082@jane.uh.edu> <1989Nov29.163242.1165@utzoo.uucp> <6791@pdn.paradyne.com> <1989Dec1.040218.26158@utzoo.uucp> Sender: usenet@pdn.paradyne.com Reply-To: dave@rnms1.paradyne.com (Dave Cameron ) Organization: AT&T Paradyne, Largo, Florida Lines: 31 In article <1989Dec1.040218.26158@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article <6791@pdn.paradyne.com> dave@rnms1.paradyne.com (Dave Cameron ) writes: [concerning how fast the Challenger crew would have lost consciousness] >>I assume that one would like to consult the tables of "time of useful >>consciousness" against altitude before drawing a conclusion. Those >>times are longer than many people think. >I'd be interested to know what the tables have to say -- I don't have >them handy. The breakup was at 46,000 ft and apogee for the cabin was >something like 80,000. OOPS - I had no idea they were that high (I guess we all saw telephotos). [and going UP yet!] time of useful consciousness (not time to total loss) is: for 40,000 ft - 15 sec above 65,000 ft - < 9 sec (source - USAF Manual 160-5) below 40k things improve rapidly, for example at 30k it is 1 1/2 min and only 2k lower it is 2 1/2 - 3 min Total loss of consciousness takes longer, but on the path you have described "rapidly" definitely covers it. Dave "i live at sea level" Cameron