YHMYYZspotter From Canada, joined Sep 2006, 197 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2280 times:
So they are finally going to lauch this thing eh? I almost lost interent. Now its time to burn all the bandwidth in my office watching the launch on my PC. Hope all goes well and good luck NASA
NeilYYZ From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2275 times:
Good luck to all the astronauts! I love watching launches, there's something so awe inspiring about watching 8 brave people launch themselves into space! Hope they have a good mission and come home safe and sound.
KFLLCFII From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 3262 posts, RR: 33 Reply 3, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2269 times:
Now in a scheduled hold at T-minus 20 minutes.
"About the only way to look at it, just a pity you are not POTUS KFLLCFII, seems as if we would all be better off."
NeilYYZ From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2258 times:
I'm just watching them go through all of their pre-flight checks, there sure are a lot of them, and most of them are confusing as hell. Still amazing to watch, they just completed the ascent checklist, quite amazing to watch all of this, I've never seen it streamed before.
Mhodgson From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2002, 5047 posts, RR: 29 Reply 7, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2252 times:
Quoting RichardPrice (Reply 5): Why do they build in scheduled holds? Shouldnt they be part of the countdown proper?
By the sounds of it, they are used for evacuating personnel, and I suppose this could delay proceedings, thus these can probably be carried on until it is safe for the countdown to resume.
That is my take on it anyway!
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JBirdAV8r From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 4459 posts, RR: 22 Reply 8, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2237 times:
Quoting Mhodgson (Reply 7): By the sounds of it, they are used for evacuating personnel, and I suppose this could delay proceedings, thus these can probably be carried on until it is safe for the countdown to resume.
That's part of the reason. Built-in holds are also used for many other reasons--to "regroup", catch up on work not finished in the count, etc. The shuttle countdown is pretty long and so having the built-in flexibility can (and has on many flights) helped out quite a bit. Also, for launches like the Space Station or satellite repair, it also gives them a chance to update their times precise so they launch exactly into the plane of the Station or orbiting satellite.
Cfalk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2223 times:
Quoting RichardPrice (Reply 5): Why do they build in scheduled holds? Shouldnt they be part of the countdown proper?
A countdown contains "to-do" items for practically every instant. T-32:35, flip this switch, 30 seconds later, check this guage, etc. etc. There is no wasted time. The holds in the countdown is meant to allow everyone to take a breather, grab a coffee, shag the receptionist, whatever, but also allows people some people who have fallen behind in their to-do lists and need a little extra time to get back on track. But of course, he won't have the time to get himself any coffee
JBirdAV8r From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 4459 posts, RR: 22 Reply 11, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2223 times:
Ilikeyyc From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 1373 posts, RR: 22 Reply 12, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2223 times:
YHMYYZspotter From Canada, joined Sep 2006, 197 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2202 times:
Will it ever fly? I cannot believe America with all their money and technology that they don't have another shuttle or space vehicle built, these things just seem like flying ticking time bombs. Problem after problem...
Kaddyuk From Wallis and Futuna, joined Nov 2001, 4125 posts, RR: 28 Reply 14, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2202 times:
Oh Well... Lets watch tomorrow...
Whoever said "laughter is the best medicine" never had Gonorrhea
Cfalk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2180 times:
Quoting YHMYYZspotter (Reply 13): Will it ever fly? I cannot believe America with all their money and technology that they don't have another shuttle or space vehicle built, these things just seem like flying ticking time bombs. Problem after problem...
Boy, aren't your standards high. I don't see anyone else having attempted a reusable space vehicle, and these are 30 years old.
But I agree that it is time to go to the next generation. Today's shuttle was concieved in the 60's and built in the 70's. I think it's safe to say that we could do it better now. The question is how much will it cost.
But it appears that the next generation of US space vehicles will not be reusable. Here's Wiki's entry on Project Constellation.
Boeing Nut From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 2149 times:
Quoting Cfalk (Reply 16): But it appears that the next generation of US space vehicles will not be reusable.
Not reuseable like the Shuttle, but certain components will be reuseable. They just haven't decided on what parts. I.E. the entire capsle, avionics from the capsle and so on. Than of course the Solid Rocket Booster(s).
Thorny From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (6 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days ago) and read 2092 times:
Quoting YHMYYZspotter (Reply 13): Will it ever fly? I cannot believe America with all their money and technology that they don't have another shuttle or space vehicle built, these things just seem like flying ticking time bombs. Problem after problem...
I seem to remember a certain robot arm built by a certain nation north of the United States didn't work right for the first couple of months after it was installed on the International Space Station...
Anyway, there have really only been two problems with this launch that NASA could do anything about... Wednesday's fuel cell glitch and today's Engine Cutoff Sensor malfunction. The other two were weather (a lightning strike and Tropical Storm Ernesto), and pretty much beyond NASA's control. When you think about it, it's pretty amazing that the launch pad took a 100,000 volt lightning strike but the Shuttle wasn't damaged at all.
Can you really fault NASA for wanting to double-check Atlantis and the SRBs after taking a 100,000 volt lightning strike a hundred feet or so away?
It looks like NASA will try to launch again Saturday. The flight rules say they need all four ECO sensors working to launch, but it is an old rule written when a single electronic failure could take out two ECO sensors. The ET was modified in 1998 and that failure mode is no longer possible, but no one ever updated the flight rule book. They could have launched today as-is, many on the Mission Management Team argued to go ahead and launch, but the astronaut office and the MMT Director both decided that they shouldn't make such a decision with a countdown clock running out on them and that it would be better to wait a day, double-check the faulty sensor and if the problem can be better understood, launch tomorrow.
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