STS-114 Floating Debris during ET playback

[zipp]

NASA TV was showing the live downlink of the video playback of the external tank drop away. At 2:10 am eastern there appears to be an object between the shuttle and the ET in the foreground. Some kind of fabric or insulation. It looked like it had a hem. I hope it was knocked loose out of the bay... What is it?

 

[shuttle_rtf]

It was a piece of the External Tank's Protuberance Air Loads (PAL) ramp foam coming away.<br /><br />I would advise to follow things like this on the following two links, as you'd of know about this a lot earlier than where you saw it.<br /><br />STS-114 thread on here:<br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=missions&Number=289708&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=7#Post290146<br /><br />Shuttle specific forum (Discovery section):<br /><br />http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=2

 

[zipp]

The video was being downlinked for the first time. The KU antenna was stowed before then. They may have had stills. In these images the external tank is miles away.<br /><br />Crude pictures at http://member.newsguy.com/~zipp001/sts114.htm<br />

 

[ozspace]

You're right that is not the piece of PAL debris from the ET. Looks like some sort of fabric, I didn't see the video, sure its not an internal reflection?

 

[shuttle_rtf]

Ah right. I've got PAL Ramps on the brain since yesterday <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[CalliArcale]

It does look kind of fabricy.<br /><br />It don't think it can be from the payload bay; I'm pretty sure they didn't have the bay open that quickly after ET sep (this is practically immediately after ET sep, and it takes time to open the bay doors). Is it possible that it's from the connection between ET and Orbiter, jostled loose by separation? An insulating blanket from the umbillical lines or something like that? If that's the case, it's probably not a problem. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

I'd be more worried if it looked like a black brick. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[zipp]

I hooked the DVD player to the video capture card. The 9.22 second video is available in 3 resolutions. See the posted link.

 

[Leovinus]

At the press conference today, they said there was some blanket damage under window #1 (leftmost pilot window facing out). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[nacnud]

Here is the pic of the damaged blanket from the Post-MMT Briefing