Photos show odd images near shuttle

TxDoc · February 3, 2003

David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor Sunday, February 2, 2003

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A San Francisco amateur astronomer who photographs the space shuttles whenever their orbits carry them over the Bay Area has captured five strange and provocative images of the shuttle Columbia just as it was re-entering the Earth's atmosphere before dawn Saturday.

The pictures, taken with a Nikon 8 camera on a tripod, reveal what appear to be bright electrical phenomena flashing around the track of the shuttle's passage, but the photographer, who asked not to be identified, will not make them public immediately.

"They clearly record an electrical discharge like a lightning bolt flashing past, and I was snapping the pictures almost exactly . . . when the Columbia may have begun breaking up during re-entry," he said.

The photographer invited The Chronicle to view the photos on his computer screen Saturday night, and they are indeed puzzling.

They show a bright scraggly flash of orange light, tinged with pale purple, and shaped somewhat like a deformed L. The flash appears to cross the Columbia's dim contrail, and at that precise point, the contrail abruptly brightens and appears thicker and somewhat twisted as if it were wobbling.

"I couldn't see the discharge with own eyes, but it showed up clear and bright on the film when I developed it," the photographer said. "But I'm not going to speculate about what it might be."

HillHound · February 3, 2003

I spculate for him...

Built-up static electricity discharge as a result of increased atmospheric friction from the shuttle's rapid descent?

sincityZ71 · February 3, 2003

I spculate for him...

Built-up static electricity discharge as a result of increased atmospheric friction from the shuttle's rapid descent?

That's what I was thinking too. Even the NASA people mentioned something about that yesterday...there is a lot of friction that takes place on re-entry so there is going to be alot of static electricity discharges and all. I believe the NASA people said something about plasma yesterday...I guess a lot of that is created and discharged when they come in...and if I am not mistaken...isn't 'lighting' a hot bolt of plasma?

There is my speculation...

Elwood · February 3, 2003

That makes sense, but wouldn't you think if this guy has been taking htese pictures before he would've seen that kind of thing before.

You gotta wonder is it really something that will help figure this out, or is it some guy trying to pull something?

Charlie in TX · February 3, 2003

Plasma is the 4th state of matter. It can be a solid like ice, a liquid like water, a gas like steam or a plasma. Plasma on a spacecraft is generated from the friction/heat of rentry. Once the air is heated high enough it becomes a plasma. Same thing with a lightning bolt, it heats the air and turns it into a plasma. One property of plasma is it is conductive. So when the craft is enveloped in plasma it has a conductive cover over it. Lightning hitting the plasma will be conducted around the craft, not thru it.

As far as the picture and the 'lightning'. Anouther possible explenation is a peace of the craft broke off and left the craft at an angle and at great velosity. To the eye, or a camera, it may look like lightning.