UTSA hosts Feb. 3 lecture on shuttle disaster
(Feb. 2, 2004)--The UTSA Department of Electrical Engineering hosts a lecture, "The Investigation of the Columbia Accident at Southwest Research Institute," at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 3 in Science Building Room 2.02.02 at the 1604 Campus. The lecture is free and open to all.
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RSS FeedsShortly after the orbiter Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry, SRI was asked to investigate the plausibility of a foam impact as being the cause of the accident.
The investigation involved the nondestructive testing of the Columbia's leading-edge panels of the wing to determine the extent of the internal damage.
Additionally, computational models were used to simulation the effects of a foam impact. Based upon the investigation and other forensic work, it was concluded that Columbia was lost due to the impact of the external-tank insulation foam.
The methodologies used in the investigation will be presented in the lecture, including videos of the impact tests and computer animations of numerical simulations of such impacts.
For more information, contact Bruce Smith, associate professor of electrical engineering, at 210-458-5512.