"Structural Failure" Space Shuttle Challenger was due to poor design of the Solid Rocket Booster Engines, specifically the flanges and o ring seals, "blow by" thru the flanges and o rings then caused a hot plasma jet to strike the huge main oxygen and fuel tank that the Space Shuttle rides on. The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors did not have a pipe in pipe design to prevent "blow by" and relied only on the o rings. Previous O Ring Failures indicated "blow by" away from the Main Fuel and Oxygen Tanks, just a matter of time before a "blow by" to strike the Main Fuel and Oxygen Tanks.
Space Shuttle Columbia was due to loss of heat tiles, that then resulted in a burn thru during reentry, as they were flying at about Mach 12, doing maneuvers to slow down, by doing "wing tipping" causing the Space Shuttle to make high speed turns to the left, right, left, right. The Space Shuttle Challenger had lost heat tiles at or near one of the wheel wells, that would burn thru the entire wing section, causing the wing to be gone. Prior to the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster crews had no means to inspect the Heat Shield Tiles, afterwards inspection of the Space Shuttle's Heat Tiles was required using a mirror. Lost of a percentage of Heat Shield Tiles meant that Space Shuttle could not safely Reenter the Earth's Atmosphere.
All Space Shuttles used to have a Crew Survivability Blast Bulkhead, and a Deployable Parachute System this was removed to increase Payload Weight Capacity. The Crews of the Space Shuttle Challenger and Space Shuttle Columbia would have had a chance. From the NASA film footage many believed that the Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger survived the explosion when the plasma jet from the Solid Rocket Booster ignited the Main Liquid Fuel and Oxygen Tanks, the forward from the Space Shuttle's Cargo area blast shield protected them, the Space Shuttle then sheared just aft of the Crew Compartment as Designed, they saw the water rushing up to them and could do nothing since the Parachute System had been Removed. They died on impact with the water. In the NASA Film Footage you can see a large piece hit the water, that was the intact Challenger Crew Compartment as Space Shuttle front of the Cargo Compartment to the nose of the Space Shuttle.
There was a reason why NASA chose U.S. Military Officers. First was Physical Fitness, are Calculated Risk Takers, are or have already faced Death.
Space Shuttle Columbia was due to loss of heat tiles, that then resulted in a burn thru during reentry, as they were flying at about Mach 12, doing maneuvers to slow down, by doing "wing tipping" causing the Space Shuttle to make high speed turns to the left, right, left, right. The Space Shuttle Challenger had lost heat tiles at or near one of the wheel wells, that would burn thru the entire wing section, causing the wing to be gone. Prior to the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster crews had no means to inspect the Heat Shield Tiles, afterwards inspection of the Space Shuttle's Heat Tiles was required using a mirror. Lost of a percentage of Heat Shield Tiles meant that Space Shuttle could not safely Reenter the Earth's Atmosphere.
All Space Shuttles used to have a Crew Survivability Blast Bulkhead, and a Deployable Parachute System this was removed to increase Payload Weight Capacity. The Crews of the Space Shuttle Challenger and Space Shuttle Columbia would have had a chance. From the NASA film footage many believed that the Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger survived the explosion when the plasma jet from the Solid Rocket Booster ignited the Main Liquid Fuel and Oxygen Tanks, the forward from the Space Shuttle's Cargo area blast shield protected them, the Space Shuttle then sheared just aft of the Crew Compartment as Designed, they saw the water rushing up to them and could do nothing since the Parachute System had been Removed. They died on impact with the water. In the NASA Film Footage you can see a large piece hit the water, that was the intact Challenger Crew Compartment as Space Shuttle front of the Cargo Compartment to the nose of the Space Shuttle.
There was a reason why NASA chose U.S. Military Officers. First was Physical Fitness, are Calculated Risk Takers, are or have already faced Death.