Shuttle launch today

1. The foam is the result of the shuttle's goofy lateral design (the result of budget cuts and compromises in the early 1970s when it was being designed), with the orbiter vehicle attached to the side of the main fuel tank, and below it for the most part. Therefore, ice shedding off the tank during launch can fall off and hit the orbiter, thus the need for foam to prevent ice buildup on the tank.

The old Apollo (in fact, all other manned spacecraft) was designed with the crew vehicle at the TOP of the stack, thus ice falling off the tanks during launch was no threat. In virtually every old film clip of the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo launches, you can see huge hunks of ice falling off as the vehicle takes off.

In addition, having the crew vehicle at the top of the stack makes an escape system possible, which of course the Shuttle does not have. Anything goes wrong until they jettison the solid boosters, basically they are finished.

2. The Shuttle could probably be launched in a rainstorm just fine, but since the Challenger (and then Columbia) accidents, NASA wants more and more of a clear view of the vehicle during the launch process. They want to be able to see if any debris strikes occur and much of any cloud cover makes that impossible.

3. They are trying to rendezvous with the ISS traveling through space at 17,000 mph. Five miles per second. If they wait 15 minutes, it's 4,500 miles away, and still moving. They really don't have all that much in-orbit maneuvering capability.

 

Starman knows his shit.

Two interesting factoids about shuttle launches:

1) At the bottom of the stack is an armoured tank. If, say, the crew has two minutes to get the hell out of Dodge, mid-deck, there is a hatch, and a basket that can be deployed to slide the astronauts, two at a time, down to the tank. Theoretically, they climb in and drive away, the shuttle exploding behind them. There are great pictures of astronauts driving around in this thing, kicking up dirt. Nutso.

2) If, after the boosters are jettisoned, but before the shuttle reaches space, there is a need to evacuate, that same hatch is opened, and a device called "the pole" is deployed. It is, surprisingly enough, an ordinary pole that extends just past the wing. The astonauts are supposed to slide down this pole like firemen, clearing the wing, and opening their parachutes. Everybody knows that this is an impossible scenario. The wind force alone would probably blow the astronauts to bits. But everyone also acknowledges the pole and the possibility of having to use it, just ignoring the fact that if they are asked to, they are done.

Astronauts are fucking crazy.

 

Myles O'Brien (aka Douchenozzle) loves him some model space shuttle to play with on the set. BTW, is he married to his morning show co-host (fogot her first name) O'Brien.

 

Basically, most all these escape scenarios are BS. If anything goes seriously wrong in the first three minutes or the last 15 minutes of a shuttle flight, you are in big, big trouble.

T-minus 3:45. Here we go.

 

T-Minus 1 minute. Godspeed.

 

6,000 mph. Goddamn. And things are going smoothly so far, thank God.

 

Maybe you have sacrificed all your hopes and dreams for the future. Most of us still have them.

Watched it from my driveway. Beautiful launch. And the thunder from the launch is rolling over my house as I type.

 

No, Miles O'Brien is not married to the delectable Soledad O'Brien. Her hubby is some Wall St. guy.

 

Man, if you're not praying and holding your breath during that, I don't think you're human.  

Godspeed, indeed.

 

Heck, I'm not even having dinner. Need to go buy groceries.

 

Good work today, NASA.

 

They must have rubbed the right rabbit's foot.