I recently read through the entire 400 page document. I noticed numerous redacted portions. Any idea when the un-redacted version will be available to the general public?
What portions were redacted?
Got a link? Was it one of these?
This might also be of interest, about the earlier Challenger disaster: Did the astronauts survive the Challenger explosion long enough to realize their plight? - The Straight Dope
Here is the link to Nasa’s reports webpage. I think it is the 3rd one down. It is the 16.2m pdf file.
There are several redacted portions throughout. I realize that it must have some details that would be unsettling to the families. I am just curious what the legal justification would be for redaction and if they will ever release an unredacted version.
M
I would imagine that the redacted portions were primarily pictures of the remains of the crew, showing the damage that was being discussed in the text.
The indications are that the crew was rendered unconscious pretty damn quick by the depressurization. However, the inclusion of this topic
makes me wonder if at least one of the crew survived the whole mess, only to be killed by ground impact because they were knocked out and couldn’t pull the rip cord, so to speak.
<SHUDDER>
Didn’t happen. This is addressed on pages xix to xxv of the summary:
The report goes on to list five distinct events that posed a danger to the crew. Impact with the ground was number five. After number three, the breakup of the crew module, the report says:
As Clothahump suggests, the redacted sections deal almost entirely with specific descriptions of injuries and the crew’s remains, including some autopsy details. They address this in their conclusion (4.3.1 Public release of information):
I understand. However, on page xxii in the introducation NASA says:
“Human space flight is still in its infancy; spacecraft navigate narrow tracks of carefully computed ascent and entry trajectories with little allowable deviation. Until recently, it remained the province of a few governments. As private industry and more countries join in this great enterprise, we must share findings that may help protect those who venture into space. In the history of NASA, this approach has resulted in many improvements in crew survival. After the Apollo 1 fire, sweeping changes were made to spacecraft design and to the way crew rescue equipment was positioned and available at the launch pad. After the Challenger accident, a jettisonable hatch, personal oxygen systems, parachutes, rafts, and pressure suits were added to ascent and entry operations of the space shuttle.”
It seems to me they state the purpose of this report is to share information so that future government/private space flight is safer. It seems this is in a direct contradiction with redacting some information.
I am not wanting to see morbid photos of these astronauts. There are enough horrible pictures on the internet to fill a thousand lifetimes. I would, however, like to know why some conclusions were reached. Apparently someone felt the photos or information was relevant because it was put in the report.