Analysis of in-flight winds for shuttle Mission STS 51-L

Television photos of smoke plumes are analyzed to estimate meridional wind shear on the space shuttle Challenger associated with the accident of Mission 51-L. Gust velocities were obtained by detailed examination of the debris trails. The shuttle exhaust trail was used to establish altitudes of significant features in the photographs. Wind data obtained from the photographs compare favorably with data obtained from a rawinsonde released 9 min after the launch of the shuttle.