OOPS!

What is wrong with the image below of the Michoud ET Stringer test panel?

The above image was derived from the CAIB Michoud ET-94 photo sequences so it is assumed originally

NOTE:
Official CAIB photos are provided for the press and other interested parties and may only be used for editorial purposes. Official CAIB photos may not be used as an endorsement of a product or service or for commercial purposes.

Do you see any curvature in the test panel?

Isn't the panel really mounted on a flat plate?

I contacted the CAIB after viewing images of the CAIB Michoud ET-94 photo sequences depicting in my opinion a dubious test procedure since the test panel with the various sensing devices attached seemed an inadequate simulation in comparison to an actual configuration typical of installation. This procedure was complicated since heat transfer and stress are dependent on these properties. In other words, a test method should be developed for implementation after the curved fabrication was finished.

The original photo seems to have been deleted from the photo sequences subsequent to my notification to the CAIB of the discrepancy in relating a flat plate to the actual circular geometry of the stringer. So I wonder if NASA and the CAIB gained from my Epiphany about the merits of the test procedure being conducted.

Ref:

http://www.caib.us/photos/photo_index.html(link no longer available as reference)

Well, to understand my concern let's do some math anyway by comparing the geometry of the stringer test panel to the Intertank Structure diagram. I will not elaborate on theory regarding heat transfer and stress since any competent engineer knows how to apply the principles.

The ET has a diameter of approximately 27.6 feet.

Circumference = pi x diameter = 86.7 feet

There is also 360 degrees per the circumference of a circle,

This means that 360-degree cross-section of ET stringer makes the 86.7 feet of stringer circumference or about 4.15 degrees per foot curvature.

Another perspective suggests that 6 stringer panels and 2 thrust panels comprise a total of 8 panels to form 360 degrees.  Yet, there should be some perceivable curvature regardless of how much arc is attributed to each panel.

Although Christopher Columbus underestimated the curvature of the Earth, at least he understood his object of study had a curvature contrary to skeptics in his time.