Columbia STS-107 Final Cockpit Video

[JLM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45r6Ow1tQlM

At 5:28 you can see something fly across the top window in the aft flight deck, possibly debris or something?

[Steven]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45r6Ow1tQlM

At 5:28 you can see something fly across the top window in the aft flight deck, possibly debris or something?

Probably debris, but it's not Columbia's failing wing.  It wouldn't have any way to fly from the left side of her to the right overhead window..

[Dee-Jay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45r6Ow1tQlM

At 5:28 you can see something fly across the top window in the aft flight deck, possibly debris or something?

OK ... so, look at this one ... at 1:57 ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK1RxQKCmCE

[JLM]

cool, it actually happens first a few seconds earlier, but maybe it is just tiny plasma trails that are separate from the big huge trail

[Dee-Jay]

Or simply sparks rather than debris ... 

[Moonwalker]

There is nothing unusal visible through the aft overhead observation windows. What we can see is the usual "plasma" passing by. It's just the result from the hot air the Shuttle generates while reducing its high kinetic energy during early entry. The air somehow becomes "liquid" like melting steel. Pretty usual. You can even hear either Rick Husband or William McCool saying "there might be some plasma now"

[Chris Bergin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45r6Ow1tQlM

At 5:28 you can see something fly across the top window in the aft flight deck, possibly debris or something?

OK ... so, look at this one ... at 1:57 ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK1RxQKCmCE

Oh that's the trailer for the L2 video we have of that full re-entry. The interesting thing is we've got others, but only this re-entry has the plasma streaks over the top of the flight deck. No one is totally sure why, other than it's not a problem.

Here's a free clip of one of the other two hour videos:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=4813.0

[Moonwalker]

I'm not sure why so many people think it is unusual to see the plasma streaks through the aft overhead observation windows. I've seen many videos across the web including the plasma streaks and the glowing vertical tail.

[psowen]

Do you think they had the video going all the way through to breakup but just won't show that one to the public.  And for the sake of the families they probably shouldn't.

[RMS Driver]

No, the rest of the recording was destroyed during the accident (it ends several mins before the break-up of the vehicle).

[Steven]

Do you think they had the video going all the way through to breakup but just won't show that one to the public.  And for the sake of the families they probably shouldn't.

Video was still recording at that time, but when Columbia did break up, the intense heat melted the outer layers of the tape before the inner section, so it was unrecoverable and unviewable.

[psowen]

Or so they say.

[Steven]

I wouldn't doubt it, psowen.  It's still hot outside when Columbia broke up.. even if it was all recoverable, would you really want to see the ship break up?  Out of respect for the crew, may they rest in peace, I would never want to see that video.. never.

[psowen]

No, it'd be pretty terrible thing to watch.

[RMS Driver]

I doubt that you would see much anyways, a master warning as the smoke alarms went off, maybe a few seconds of panic, and a white flash of light.

However, I think that we all agree that it not a sad thing that the rest of the tape was destroyed. May Columbia's vrew rest in peace.