Just watched this, and whilst I am no rocket scientist, it's surely not supposed to have flames coming from the tail? NASA don't seem the least bit worried by this, but I've never seen it before. Could it be the dreaded heat shield issue again? Now where is our resident expert ?

Sent from my iPad using iPF

Beats me, though they do pick up a lot of heat on reentry. No telling what that might look like as it bleeds off. Even air is combustable if it's hot enough.

(not claiming expertise on space shuttles, though I did want to be an astronaut when I was a kid, and drew my own spaceships designs with everything but the engine, because I couldn't figure out how to draw an atomic rocket engine that would go faster than light, which explains why I'm not an astronaut)

Originally Posted by twerppoet

Beats me, though they do pick up a lot of heat on reentry. No telling what that might look like as it bleeds off. Even air is combustable if it's hot enough.

(not claiming expertise on space shuttles, though I did want to be an astronaut when I was a kid, and drew my own spaceships designs with everything but the engine, because I couldn't figure out how to draw an atomic rocket engine that would go faster than light, which explains why I'm not an astronaut)

it also explains why you couldn't draw the engine...It didn't exist then, and it doesn't now! A friend has suggested that they "vented" and ignited gas as a farewell to this craft! Dubious in my opinion, but there were no fire engines or anything.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

Ok, you got me curious enough to do a search on it. Here is your answer.

Space Shuttle Lands on Fire, and That’s OK - Syzdekistan

Originally Posted by twerppoet

Ok, you got me curious enough to do a search on it. Here is your answer.

Space Shuttle Lands on Fire, and That’s OK - Syzdekistan

Thanks for the link, and there I was hoping for conspiracy theories

Sent from my iPad using iPF

I thought it was dumb to land it at the Cape when that Shuttle is supposed to go to a museum in Los Angeles, the last one better go to either Edwards AFB or Air Force Plant 42 given the amount of history both installations have with the Shuttle. If we don't get one here NASA can officially bite me.

Originally Posted by firedog25

I thought it was dumb to land it at the Cape when that Shuttle is supposed to go to a museum in Los Angeles, the last one better go to either Edwards AFB or Air Force Plant 42 given the amount of history both installations have with the Shuttle. If we don't get one here NASA can officially bite me.

They have to do major decontamination and strip downs. I don't think the museums are going to get one with all the computer kit installed? Just a walk round exhibit. Seems a shame that it's all coming to an end now. Let's hope something new and groundbreaking arrives on the scene. For now, I guess we wait for China to land on the moon.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

Fascinating stuff though! I've been to the Kennedy space centre and it was awe inspiring. Shame it's ending though. Where's Tim, he normally says something when it's space orientated? Wake up, Tim!

Originally Posted by Hayles66

Fascinating stuff though! I've been to the Kennedy space centre and it was awe inspiring. Shame it's ending though. Where's Tim, he normally says something when it's space orientated? Wake up, Tim!

If the weather is like what it is here, then sat outside a pub boozing away

Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys!! Pub - indeed...it's incredibly warm here today (for Scotland) - so I was out sunbathing (just don't ask)....Yes - I was at the Johnson Space Centre at the end of 2010 and managed to actually touch a real Apollo capsule - and stand by the main engines of the rocket that launched the Apollo capsules to the moon - you have to see them to believe them. And they've preserved as a museum the Control Room that was responsible for the first moon landing.

In those days - no email - they sent messages between CapCom and their backup team via those pneumatic tubes that still some supermarkets use to move cash out of the tills - in small containers that are fired along a tube by air pressure.

During the first moon landing the controllers discovered that the size of those containers was a perfect fit for a bottle of Coke....

Tim