michael@ucbiris.BERKELEY.EDU (Tom Slone [(415)486-5954]) (01/31/86)
I don't know, but a NASA spokesperson told people not to beachcomb for Challenger debris because they might discover "a small green object which would kill them 1 or 2 seconds after touching it." What could this be?
jbs@mit-eddie.UUCP (Jeff Siegal) (02/02/86)
In article <287@ucbjade.BERKELEY.EDU> michael@ucbiris.BERKELEY.EDU (Tom Slone [(415)486-5954]) writes: >I don't know, but a NASA spokesperson told people not to beachcomb for >Challenger debris because they might discover "a small green object which would >kill them 1 or 2 seconds after touching it." What could this be? Source: _New York Times_ (Thursday or Friday of this week) The fuel used by the shuttle to adjust it's position in orbit, and to slow down for re-entry is monohydrazine (sp?) mixed with nitrogen tetraoxide. When mixed, these substances react violently without any need for ignition. Hydrazine is an extremely explosive substance. NO4 is a deadly poison, and also an extremely dangerous oxydizer. According to the article, even a small amount of this stuff can burn a large quantity of skin/flesh. You guessed it...both these are stored abord the shuttle in green drums, which may have ruptured during the explosion. NASA experts were quoted as saying that pieces of these drums, even after being washed by the Atlantic Ocean, would be dangerous if touched. Jeff Siegal
aer@alice.UucP (D. Rosenberg) (02/02/86)
From the Friday, January 31 _New York Times_:
"SOUVENIR HUNTERS WARNED OF TOXIC SHUTTLE DEBRIS"
(by Malcolm Browne)
Space agency and Coast Guard officials have issued warnings
that souvenir hunters face severe burns or death if theys hould happen
to touch some of the debris from the space shuttle Challenger washing
ashore from the Atlantic Ocean.
In particular, officials of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration warned beachcombers about cylindrical green tanks with hemispheric ends, 96 inches long and 49 inches in diameter.
According to Gatha F. Cottee, a spokeman at Kennedy Space Center,
intact green tanks might or fragments of tanks might be contaminated
by the rocket fuel with which the tanks were filled when the space
shuttle Challenge[r] exploded on Tuesday.
The officials advised anyone coming on such debris not to
touch it and to immediately notify the authorities.
The four titanium fuel tanks involved contained two
violently reactive chemicals. When mixed together the chemicals
explode spontaneously, even without external ignition. The two liquids,
collectively designated as hypergolic fuel, are carried in compari-
tively small amounts aboard shuttle missions and are used to power
small manuevering rockets after the space ship reaches orbit."
The article went on to say the rockets were also used at the end of missions
to slow down the shuttle in re-entry, and that the fuel consists of a
clear liquid called monomethylhydrazine, CH6N2 - and it causes caustic
burns on the skin, and can cause liver damage. Its oxidizing agent is
liquid nitrogen textroxide, N2O4. N2O4 will oxidize most anything organic
it touches - like people. N2O4 is nasty, nasty stuff- and none of it had
been used when the Challenger was destroyed. NASA said it wasn't aware of
any other dangerous debris. The article was on page A15.
And oh yeah, from the same article, check this out:
"Earlier yesterday, the official Soviet press agency Tass accused the United
States of loading "secret explosives" aboard the shuttle, thereby creating
a serious safety hazard in the Atlantic Ocean or anywhere else debris might
have fallen.
Quoting Gus Hall, the leader of the Communist Party U.S.A., Tass charged
that the "explosives" supposedly carried by the shuttle were for use in
connection with President Reagan's plan for an antimissile shield."
The Soviets Union doesn't like SDI a whole lot, does it?
The above excerpts are probably copyrighted and patented and everything
else by the New York Times Co., so don't anyone tell them I did anything
wrong, and besides it was an old article.
--
##########################################################################
#D. Rosenberg "Disclaimer: I'd never want to hurt anyone with My Opinions"
#(..{ihnp4,research,allegra}!alice!aer) greg@nmtvax.UUCP (Greg Titus) (02/05/86)
> I don't know, but a NASA spokesperson told people not to beachcomb for > Challenger debris because they might discover "a small green object which would > kill them 1 or 2 seconds after touching it." WhatWcould this be? Probably an explosive bolt. There are quite a few of them in various spots on the liftoff assemblage -- several might have survived the initial explosion. Add another vote for net.challenger ... greg -- Greg Titus ..!ucbvax!unmvax!nmtvax!greg (uucp) NM Tech Computer Center ..!cmcl2!lanl!nmtvax!greg (uucp) Box W209 C/S greg@nmt (CSnet) Socorro, NM 87801 greg.nmt@csnet-relay (arpa) (505) 835-5735 ======================================================================
larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (02/08/86)
>> I don't know, but a NASA spokesperson told people not to beachcomb for >> Challenger debris because they might discover "a small green object which >> would kill them 1 or 2 seconds after touching it." What could this be? > > Source: _New York Times_ (Thursday or Friday of this week) > > The fuel used by the shuttle to adjust it's position in orbit, and to > slow down for re-entry is monohydrazine (sp?) mixed with nitrogen > tetraoxide. When mixed, these substances react violently without any > need for ignition. ... > > You guessed it...both these are stored abord the shuttle in green drums, > which may have ruptured during the explosion. NASA experts were quoted > as saying that pieces of these drums, even after being washed by the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > Atlantic Ocean, would be dangerous if touched. Not true - but it SOUNDS good as a deterent against people disturbing Challenger debris. Hydrazine is miscible in water, and forms an azeotropic mixture which will be readily dispersed. Nitrogen tetroxide combines with water to form nitric acid, which is dispersed even faster. INTACT containers of the above materials would in fact be quite dangerous. ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <== ==> UUCP {decvax|dual|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <== ==> VOICE 716/741-9185 {rice|shell}!baylor!/ <== ==> FAX 716/741-9635 {G1, G2, G3 modes} duke!ethos!/ <== ==> seismo!/ <== ==> "Have you hugged your cat today?" ihnp4!/ <==