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From: lhb6v@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Laura Hayes Burchard)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Recent Newsstand Magazine Articles
Message-ID: <1991Jan2.034718.12451@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 2 Jan 91 03:47:18 GMT
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In article <1991Jan2.015229.2177@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <1991Jan1.195102.7391@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> lhb6v@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Laura Hayes Burchard) writes:
>>"... a NASA investigator has confirmed suspicions that the 
>>astronauts were conscious of their fate, and that among the last words
>>from the craft were those of one astronaut saying to another, "Give me
>>your hand."

>I would class this as somewhat improbable, given that the recorder was not
>battery powered and hence lost power immediately when the breakup began.

Like I said; just because it's leaked doesn't mean it's true, and major
disasters due tend to be breeding grounds for rumor.  One of my history
of Apollo books notes that the Apollo 1 fire led to rumors far more
gruesome than the reality.  On the other hand, NASA's behavior before
and after Challenger doesn't lead one to much comforting faith in
the verity of their pronouncements (no insult meant to you personally, 
Henry) and considerable cynicism about their ability to cover their
asses.

>Such a request also strikes me as seriously out of character for the sort
>of people who become astronauts.  Yes, even Christa McAuliffe.
>Much more likely is the suggestion that Smith's "uh-oh" was really more
>along the lines of "oh shit", apparently the most common "last words" in
>such situations.

Don't know enough about astronauts to psychoanalyze them.  I would find
it unlikely in the case of a crew working to survive, but not totally
impossible in the case of a crew waiting.  I'll agree that it sounds
a trifle romanticized.

As for the "uh-oh"; that I'll believe, from the evidence of air crash 
investigators.


--
Laura Burchard    lhb6v@virginia.edu    lhb6v@virginia.bitnet
October 3:  After 45 bitter years of separation, East and West Germany
unite to form a single nation, chastened by the past, hopeful for the future.
October 4:  Germany invades Poland.      --Dave Barry's Year in Review 1990