v055mvw3@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (03/21/90)
A word on the Challenger... Three of the seven were most probably conscious at impact, as their respective O2 emergency packs were almost used up. The cabin fell intact for 2 1/2 minutes before inpact, and the astronauts died when it struck the water, not drowning. The cabin's speed was in excess of 200 mph when it struck, causing the enitre cabin and its contents to be totally demolished. Sadly, this also included the astronauts. Greg J. Schaffer V055MVW3@UBVMS.BITNET
clj@ksr.com (Chris Jones) (03/21/90)
In article <666.26064ead@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu> you write: >A word on the Challenger... > >Three of the seven were most probably conscious at impact, as their >respective O2 emergency packs were almost used up. You don't have to be conscious to breathe, so the fact that the packs were depleted doesn't support your conclusion (also, the packs were air, not O2, FYI). In case you're interested, I believe that 3 out of four of the packs on the flight deck were depleted (Scobee's was not), and the packs on the mid-deck were never checked. As I've said, it doesn't really matter since the accident was non-survivable. I also imagine that it would have been hard to avoid blacking out if the crew cabin were tumbling on its way down. -- Chris Jones clj@ksr.com uunet!ksr!clj harvard!ksr!clj