Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0087 Space Shuttle Rescue Plans

The folks at ArsTechnica have some fantastic writing overall covering broad topics with an emphasis around science, technology, and more.  Today is an article that tells the story of space shuttle Columbia that tragically broke up on re-entry in 2003.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/02/the-audacious-rescue-plan-that-might-have-saved-space-shuttle-columbia/

Here is a snippet from that article, well worth reading all the way through:

At 10:39 Eastern Standard Time on January 16, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A mere 81.7 seconds later, a chunk of insulating foam tore free from the orange external tank and smashed into the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing at a relative velocity of at least 400 miles per hour (640 kph), but Columbia continued to climb toward orbit.

...

In reality, the impact shattered at least one of the crucial reinforced carbon-carbon heat shield panels that lined the edge of the wing, leaving a large hole in the brittle ceramic material. Sixteen days later, as Columbia re-entered the atmosphere, superheated plasma entered the orbiter's structure through the hole in the wing and the shuttle began to disintegrate.

The core of the article is a result of the aftermath.  The review board asked for a theoretical plan that might have saved the crew members of Columbia, had the damage been identified prior to the re-entry attempt.  The result is riveting reading as good as or better than Apollo 13 material.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant