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View Full Version : OT: Space Shuttle returns to flight

kalthalior
July 26th, 2005, 05:22 PM
Shuttle lifts off (http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050726_sts114_launchsuccess.html)

Great to see the shuttle back in action.
dogscoff
July 27th, 2005, 06:31 AM
Great news about the successful lift off, but:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4719847.stm

What will they do if they find the shuttle is not fit for re-entry? Can they fix it up there, or would they have to use the escape modules on the ISS to get the crew home? Are there anough escape modules to bring them all back down?
Randallw
July 27th, 2005, 06:37 AM
I think they have some resin putty to place over any damaged tiles.
dogscoff
July 27th, 2005, 07:41 AM
I think they have some resin putty to place over any damaged tiles.




And this putty is as good as the asbestos for heat resistance? Why not just make the entire shuttle out of it?
Atrocities
July 27th, 2005, 09:37 AM
Its about damn time too!
narf poit chez BOOM
July 27th, 2005, 07:50 PM
More expensive?
Suicide Junkie
July 27th, 2005, 07:57 PM
Putty is probably not good for structural integrity... it can plug a crack, but a ship made out of it would be like a giant Drushockan booger. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif
narf poit chez BOOM
July 27th, 2005, 08:23 PM
Attack of the Giant Space Booger!
geoschmo
July 27th, 2005, 10:46 PM
dogscoff said:


I think they have some resin putty to place over any damaged tiles.




And this putty is as good as the asbestos for heat resistance? Why not just make the entire shuttle out of it?

Probably it's as good for heat resistance on one trip. The tiels are designed to last for several reentries. The Giant Drushokan Space Booger would get the job done once, but it would have to be rebuilt after every flight.

Makes me think of that SNL skit about the "Adobe" car. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif
Captain Kwok
July 27th, 2005, 10:54 PM
I just hope it lands safely.
dogscoff
July 28th, 2005, 06:48 AM
oh dear... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4723109.stm
Captain Kwok
July 28th, 2005, 07:41 AM
That's too bad. But maybe it will help get the next generation of space craft out just a little bit faster...
boran_blok
July 28th, 2005, 07:36 PM
Imho there are two solutions for this problem, one might be possible with the current shuttle design but might be impossible due to physics, the second is for the next shuttle design.

First the maybe now possible one: why not install a protective jacket around the heatshield of the shuttle ? it doesnt need it when lifting off, only when coming down.

Second, make it so that in the next shuttle the fuel tanks and booster rockets are on the less vulnerable side, this should be the backside for the current space shuttle, or maybe even the sides.

both solutions however are quite expansive I think so it'll be for the next shuttle.
Baron Munchausen
July 29th, 2005, 04:50 PM
boran_blok said:
Imho there are two solutions for this problem, one might be possible with the current shuttle design but might be impossible due to physics, the second is for the next shuttle design.

First the maybe now possible one: why not install a protective jacket around the heatshield of the shuttle ? it doesnt need it when lifting off, only when coming down.

Second, make it so that in the next shuttle the fuel tanks and booster rockets are on the less vulnerable side, this should be the backside for the current space shuttle, or maybe even the sides.

both solutions however are quite expansive I think so it'll be for the next shuttle.



For the 'next generation' they should finish the development of the system rather than leave it as a half-baked hack/kludge. You do know that the shuttle was supposed to have a flying 'lifter' to carry it (like the 747 transporter does but more gracefully) to 50,000 feet or so and then launch from there? The current system with the external tank and the boosters is a kludge because they couldn't get the money to complete the original design. That is the real problem. They are using the shuttle in a way it was not intended/designed for.
El_Phil
July 29th, 2005, 09:13 PM
That assumes they get a budget to do this. Bear in mind this isn't the amount of money they ask for, it's the amount they'll need.

Major engineering projects do not come in on-spec, on time and on budget. Ever. You might get one, maybe, if your lucky and the project isn't ambitious, you'll get two. But never all three.