Maybe when flights resume, they'll start using more of those cool ET cams that flew last year.

Assuming the camera could have been on the left side, I wonder how much of a difference having that footage would have made in the risk assesment analysis that occurred mid-flight, or even mid-launch, regarding the strike.

Having several of them (I remember the cost having been pretty low, and it was all constructed of off-the-shelf parts) mounted to show areas that the ground based cameras can't see sure seems like cheap insurance.

With hindsight really kicking in as I write this, it seems that, after Challenger, something like this would have already been implemented. The SRB burnthrough was visible several times before the final explosion, but was not noticed until closer analysis afterwards. It seems that having small cameras like these placed to cover A) areas that are not visible to the ground based cameras, and B) critical areas that are highly susceptable to damage resulting from the launch process could give the crew and the ground better real time information regarding anomalies that could erode vehicle integrity or cause other hazards.

Hindsight is always 20/20.