The coverup regarding the fate of Challenger astronauts

I found this article informative. Some graphic details about the recovery of bodies, and the lengths NASA went to in order to not disclose the full info.
www.lutins.org...


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Maybe a summary of that page I went there and that's a lot of reading! I wouldn't mind reading what it says I'd just like a small summary of it here to know whether I would read it ..... or not.

reply to post by WhoDat09


I had heard most of this a few years ago, minus all the details of the dives, and all that. It really is horrifying to think that they were alive and conscious all the way to impact.

Basically it talks about the recovery, and the steps that NASA went to to keep people from finding out that they had found the remains (they were to use the code word "Tom O'Malley) if remains were found. What was kind of horrifying is that when they had brought three of the remains up (what was left of them), they put them in garbage bags, then into a garbage can, in the bed of a Navy pickup truck, and drove them through town at 1:30am, so that no one would know what they had.

Well worth the read

Read and watched videos on youtube, I'm not trying to debunk anything. But can anyone find a video that shows anything big enough to be the crew cabin coming down. There were a few videos of splashdown, but everythimg seemed really small?

reply to post by iwontrun


Yes there was. There were several large pieces of the fuselage that came out of the wreckage, including one that was identified on the camera as being the crew compartment.

Even without video of it, there is too much proof that they were alive and relatively well right up to impact with the water.

Flag from liejunkie.
Thank you for the information.

Rip Challenger. I am sorry that NASA let you die the way you did.

I will never forget.

reply to post by iwontrun


This video shows good closeups of the orbiter parts, including the crew cabin at 4:14

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by iwontrun

 

Yes there was. There were several large pieces of the fuselage that came out of the wreckage, including one that was identified on the camera as being the crew compartment.

Even without video of it, there is too much proof that they were alive and relatively well right up to impact with the water.

What proof is that ?

I fear that they may have indeed survived just long enough to know what was going to happen. But I really don't care to know for sure, thanks...

I prefer to hope they didn't feel anything, or at least not for long. But to fall that far, and be alive for the whole time? No, I don't need to know that. NASA can, for all of me, keep that particular nugget of info to themselves.

reply to post by wildespace


Thanks wildespace excellent article and video to match, S&F . I remember when this happened I was in school watching in science class. Amazing how these tragedies tend to fade from memory.

reply to post by wmd_2008


The oxygen systems being activated is a huge clue, among other things. When the remains were examined, there was no evidence of rapid decompression, when what was left of the crew compartment was examined there was very little evidence of decompression at all, etc. It all pointed to at least some of the crew being alive, and conscious until impact.

I always wondered why there wasn't a parachute system designed (back of the crew compartment sectioin joining to the shuttle's cargo bay) for the crew compartment as it was designed to remain intact and seperate during such catastrophes. Was there one or it failed as well?

reply to post by hp1229


There was no parachute system at the time that could withstand a hypersonic ejection from the orbiter. NASA did try to design a few systems and I'm not really sure if they came up with an effective design. No one ejected from Columbia so I'm guessing no.

Also the human body cannot withstand the hypersonic forces so it's kinda a moot point. In Gulf War I we had a few pilots who ejected and suffered some pretty good blunt force trauma. At just over Mach one you'd be ejecting into an 800 mph wind. The orbiter is moving 18,000 mph or better...I think that would kill anyone almost instantly. You'd have to have some sort of escape pod or something.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Some of the pilots switch positions had also been changed from their normal flight configuration. Tests showed that the impact with the water would not have flipped them like that and the changes seemed to indicate that the pilot was trying to restore power. Not only were they conscious, but the pilot was trying to save the crew. The bravery it took to make such deliberate efforts rather than simply panic is beyond me.

reply to post by hp1229


The belief at the time was that the crew wouldn't survive anything that would tear the orbiter apart, so there was no need for an ejection/parachute system. The fact that the cabin was designed to separate intact was kind of like the "Mommy Hatch" on a sub. The sub crew members point to that and say "Look mom, we can get out if we have to", knowing that if they are having to use it, they're all dead anyway.

Originally posted by WhoDat09
Maybe a summary of that page

I went there and that's a lot of reading! I wouldn't mind reading what it says I'd just like a small summary of it here to know whether I would read it ..... or not.

Something went wrong, the shuttle broke apart, but the crew capsule remained intact and then crashed in the Atlantic ocean, at which point it was pulverized but remained together because of wires. The crew were likely alive, awake and aware up until the moment of the crash at which point they died instantaneously -- and were likely bug splat. Recovery crews recovered the demolished capsule and NASA clammed up about the details. A blue-ribbon committee was formed by Ronald Raygun to investigate it and Howard Feynman surmised that frozen o-rings were the culprit. NASA supposedly revamped their engineering, testing and safety procedures, but NASA insiders doubt it and figure it's basically business as usual there. The End. -- Oh yeah, there was much wailing, gnashing of teeth and hand wringing, and Ron Raygun came down with Alzheimers and his staff and wife hid it from Congress and the American people. And then a second shuttle crashed and burned a few years later, apparently because of damaged ceramic heat tiles and their was much lamentation, gnashing of teeth and hand wringing, and started being VERY careful at debris falling off during the launch, and carrying a heat tile patch kit on board. I may have added a little bit more than is at the link, but it's all true.

Originally posted by MrInquisitive

Something went wrong, the shuttle broke apart, but the crew capsule remained intact and then crashed in the Atlantic ocean, at which point it was pulverized but remained together because of wires. The crew were likely alive, awake and aware up until the moment of the crash at which point they died instantaneously -- and were likely bug splat.

I read the height they where at they would've passed out.....

Originally posted by wisper
I read the height they where at they would've passed out.....

Not if the cabin was still pressurised. There is no indication that it was suddenly depressurised.

I remember that day so clearly, I had the TV on but was not watching the launch, i was making the beds instead...I regret that decision to this day.
Not that i wanted to watch everyone get blown into a million little bits, but I still feel guilty