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From: lls@ccice5.UUCP (Leo L. Stearns)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re:  Hmmm a TDRS leak?
Message-ID: <997@ccice5.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Feb-86 13:40:35 EST
Article-I.D.: ccice5.997
Posted: Thu Feb  6 13:40:35 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 03:48:07 EST
References: <8602020131.AA07772@ji.berkeley.edu>
Reply-To: lls@ccice5.UUCP (Leo L. Stearns)
Organization: CCI, Central Engineering, Rochester, NY
Lines: 27

In article <8602020131.AA07772@ji.berkeley.edu> mcgeer%ji@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU (Rick McGeer) writes:
>
>	From the size of the pieces of debris recovered, it now appears at
>least reasonably likely that Cmdr. Scobee detected a problem and jettisoned
>the ET and SRBs right at the blast; if true, this really is a tragedy
>another second and they'd've made it.
>
>					-- Rick.

This may be total speculation, but.

By now we've all seen the videos from both sides of Challenger during its'
flight. The leak that appears to have occured in one of the SRBs was near the 
rear of the ship.  This does not explain the flash seen under the crew 
compartment just before the explosion of the ET.  The flash occured near where
the shuttle is mounted to the ET.  Is it possible that this flash was actually
the explosive bolts being detonated?  If the crew had released the ship
from the ET, it would help explain the SRBs flying away seemingly intact
and the press reports that the shuttle , at least partially, survived the
initial explosion only to itself explode moments later.


If I'm way off track on this one, tell me and I'll crawl back into my
hole in the ground. :-)

Leo Stearns
lls@ccice5