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From: bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: highlights of the Challenger disaster
Message-ID: <3312@hplabsb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Feb-86 20:42:37 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabsb.3312
Posted: Mon Feb 24 20:42:37 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Feb-86 07:32:26 EST
References: <332@zeus.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 16

> An AP wire story by Howard Benedict recounts a report presented by NASA
> spokesman Jim Mizell, which gives the following chronology:
> 
> ...
> 
>   -- At 62.484 seconds, the shuttle's computers tried to compensate for the
> difference by moving the right wing flap.  Mizell said the flap was moved so
> abruptly that it created a "spike" in radio data, indicating that the flame
> must have broken through the right-hand booster in explosive fashion.

This doesn't sound right.  1)  I'm not sure that the shuttle has flaps, it
wouldn't need them.  2) Flaps operate together, not split fashion.  However,
if the shuttle has flaps and they are used for launch control, then this
could be true.  3)  Lowering (or raising) the right wing flap would add
drag to the right side of the vehicle.  This would aggravate the asymmetric
thrust condition.