Hi Kim, Actually when I first saw them they reminded me of the barf bags I keep in my plane. :) I think you are right about their being some sort of devices that protect something while on the ground but which are designed to separate at launch. I checked my online resources but found nothing. Not really surprising since most all of my ambassador training has very little to do with human spaceflight. However, I did email one of my supervisors at NASA asking if she could refer me to someone that could answer shuttle related questions. I'll let you know if I hear anything. patrick On 06 Mar 2011, at 17:36, Kim Hyatt wrote:
Hey, Solar System Ambassador, can you find out from NASA just what that stuff was? Didn't look like ice but looked like some kind of inflatable, sacrificial element.
Kim
-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2011 3:02 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Last Launch of Discovery
On 06 Mar 2011, at 12:14, erikhansen@TheBlueZone.net wrote:
However, did you notice that something flew off the rocket and smash into
the underside of Discovery?
Regarding stuff coming off, check out this view through Discovery's pilot's windscreen from 48 to 56 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhuGwQq7qZk&feature=related
patrick