Space Shuttles

[Spacemad]

May 15th - only six or seven weeks away!!! Well, so what, you say? It's the first day of the new window that will open for the return to flight of the Space Shuttles. A year & a half after all future flights were cancelled after the break up of Columbia over Texas as it was returning home.

Here is one of the many recently posted articles: Space Shuttle Discovery

[John L]

I can't wait! I'm from Texas and the sound of the explosion woke me and several people that I know up that morning. We could see the contrails from the falling debris branch off into the south and east, and the local news was filled with stories of the collection of the debris.

The reason I can't wait, though, is that the sooner the Shuttle is back in space, the sooner we can finish the ISS, and the sooner we can retire the Shuttles. As long as we're still using the Shuttle we're tying up money that can be used to design and build its replacement. Now that is something I wish we didn't have to wait for.

[Spacemad]

I happened to see the destruction of Colombia live on NASA TV. I had connected to see my first landing of a Shuttle live. I'd seen them many times on the news programmes here in the UK but for once I wanted to see a shuttle directly landing for myself - obviously I couldn't be there personally so the next best thing was to see a live landing broadcast on NASA TV. I couldn't imagine that I was about to see the break up of Colombia as it came down to land!

Now I would like to see the take off of Shuttle Discovery live on NASA TV - especially as it may take off on my birthday if the flight is delayed by one day! I just hope that this time everything goes according to plan & that Discovery has a good lift off, a good time in space & especially a good landing!!

I, too, like you, John, would like to see the ISS finished & carrying out good science so that everyone on Earth may benefit in some way. I'm also anxious to see the next generation of space vichules completed & ferrying people backwards & forwards to the Moon.

[Telecom]

Originally posted by John L@Mar 31 2005, 09:22 PM
The reason I can't wait, though, is that the sooner the Shuttle is back in space, the sooner we can finish the ISS, and the sooner we can retire the Shuttles. As long as we're still using the Shuttle we're tying up money that can be used to design and build its replacement. Now that is something I wish we didn't have to wait for.

I can not believe! :angry: Space Shuttle is still a symbol of technological superiority of the US over rest of the world. No one country has powerful fleet of reusable spacecrafts except the USA.For instance, russian spaceships are too cramped and unreliable.

04/01/05.

[3rdvogon]

Originally posted by Telecom@Apr 1 2005, 08:42 AM
, russian spaceships are too cramped and unreliable.

04/01/05.

The Russian craft are certainly small cramped and a highly inefficient and wasteful way to get into orbit but I would challenge you on them being unreliable. Their simple agricultural engineering if anything makes them quite reliable if somewhat limited in what they can do. They are the closest equivalent yet in space to a model T Ford. If you compare the number of delayed launches and the number of fatalities suffered, then the Russians do not do so badly given their lack of money and simple technology.

[Moseley]

I am hoping that this article is an April Fool from the good people at Space Daily

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-05o.html

although I cannot be sure - please reassure me.

[John L]

Telecom,

The Shuttle may be technologically advanced, but its also ridiculously expensive to fly, maintain, and support. We should have more than just the one vehicle depending on our needs. The next generation manned space vehicle will have multiple interchangable sections to allow the ship to be taylored to the mission, and allow the components to be put in orbit indivually and docked together for the mission. That will save fuel and and money in the long run and allow for a more varied approach to manned missions. And with the Shuttle limited to only low Earth orbit, we still aren't getting anywhere...

[John L]

Originally posted by Moseley@Apr 1 2005, 08:43 AM
I am hoping that this article is an April Fool from the good people at Space Daily

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-05o.html

although I cannot be sure - please reassure me.

That story is absolutely true. I saw the press conference live. So long to the Space Shuttle and the ISS. I wonder what it would get on E-Bay???


And I'm just kidding, too. That's an April Fools joke. :P

[Spacemad]

Originally posted by Moseley@Apr 1 2005, 02:43 PM
I am hoping that this article is an April Fool from the good people at Space Daily

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-05o.html

although I cannot be sure - please reassure me.

I'm absolutely convinced it's just an April Fools Day's hoax!!!

You needn't take it seriously besides in the article there are many more giveaways that show it up for what it is!! Nice try though!!! :P

[Telecom]

Originally posted by 3rdvogon@Apr 1 2005, 12:13 PM
The Russian craft are certainly small cramped and a highly inefficient and wasteful way to get into orbit but I would challenge you on them being unreliable. Their simple agricultural engineering if anything makes them quite reliable if somewhat limited in what they can do. They are the closest equivalent yet in space to a model T Ford.

You know, it is amasing how they having highly inefficient, cramped vehicles and primitive "agricultural" enginering can provide space flights, keep Station alive and save arss (or face) of american partners of joint space project.

[wstevenbrown]

Space Shuttle is still a symbol of technological superiority of the US over rest of the world. No one country has powerful fleet of reusable spacecrafts except the USA

It's a 30 year old symbol. [Sigh] The people who should have been planning its replacement during its operational lifetime were unemployed/otherwise employed, due to politics, budget, ... S

[astromark]

It is So wrong to point at the Other space craft that has been good enuff to shuttle the ISS crews up and down as required while the Shuttle has been unable to shuttle as requiered. Speak softly oh fool least you might be herd. :blink:

[Telecom]

:P

[bossman20081]

Originally posted by John L@Apr 1 2005, 01:48 PM
Telecom,

The Shuttle may be technologically advanced, but its also ridiculously expensive to fly, maintain, and support. We should have more than just the one vehicle depending on our needs. The next generation manned space vehicle will have multiple interchangable sections to allow the ship to be taylored to the mission, and allow the components to be put in orbit indivually and docked together for the mission. That will save fuel and and money in the long run and allow for a more varied approach to manned missions. And with the Shuttle limited to only low Earth orbit, we still aren't getting anywhere...

"Technologically advanced?" Maybe compared to what the rest of the world has, but the shuttle was designed and built in the 70's! I agree John, it's time to retire the shuttle fleet, they did their job, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

[Spacemad]

Bossman:

it's time to retire the shuttle fleet, they did their job, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

Although I agree with you on the need to renew the space shuttle fleet it is still the only way to get the ISS finished & once it is finished they can be honourably retired from duty & maybe pass many years in museums around the world.

[Karen M.]

There has been talk for MANY YEARS about retiring the Space Shuttle fleet in favor of a redesigned orbiter. I'm not one to talk bad of NASA, but I feel they should have focused more attention on getting a new orbiter ready for flight a decade ago. When Columbia went down, instead of making improvements on the remaining three Shuttles, all efforts should have been on making the new Orbiter ready for flight.

The Russian's rockets have done a wonderful job keeping the ISS supplied with both Astronauts/Cosmonauts and supplies. Maybe it's time for a multi-country (NASA, ESA, Russia, China, etc.) to work on the problem together.

Best wishes to the Crew of STS-114, I'd give anything to be there with you!

[Spacemad]

Originally posted by Karen M.@Apr 5 2005, 01:08 AM

The Russian's rockets have done a wonderful job keeping the ISS supplied with both Astronauts/Cosmonauts and supplies. Maybe it's time for a multi-country (NASA, ESA, Russia, China, etc.) to work on the problem together.

Best wishes to the Crew of STS-114, I'd give anything to be there with you!

Maybe it's time for a multi-country (NASA, ESA, Russia, China, etc.) to work on the problem together.

I agree wholeheartedly with you Karen.

Meanwhile Shuttle Discovery has been taken out of the Assembly Hanger & is now on the Launch Pad. However a hairline crack was discovered in the insulating foam. You can read about it here:
Hairline crack in foam

Just a few more weeks to go!

[tyrie2001]

It's a pitty that the russian space shuttle program "Buran-Energia" was suspended due to lack of funds in 1993, that shuttle could of helped out with the constructiob of the ISS, you also wouldn't of had to worry about losing a shuttle crew because, correct me if I'm wrong, the Buran-Energia was an unmanned space shuttle. I think it only flew one mission sometime in November 1988.

[Spacemad]

Here is a site I've found that goes into the Buran shuttle in some depth, it also has loads & loads of images!
Buran

I'd never looked up this Russian space shuttle before, so it was quite revealing!

[Spacemad]

The "Back to Flight" of the shuttle Discovery is proceeeding on course & now they have put an Italian module on board: Raffaello

[ironpirate]

I agree that the Shuttle needs replacing. However, they should keep flying until a replacement is available. Development and production of it's replacement would take years, and we should still be flying during that time.
I still wish private industry would get into the Space Race.

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by ironpirate@Apr 12 2005, 05:18 PM
I still wish private industry would get into the Space Race.

NASA has had it's new administrator too short a time for anything clear to have come out on this, but I suspect that the series of prizes for getting cheap reusables to orbit will be a big part of the plan to replace the shuttle and the ISS.

I wouldn't be completely surprised to see the moon base, and moon metalurgical industry end up being sponsored by similar prizes. We might be seeing a major change in how NASA operates it's manned space ventures. I suspect that the risk to test pilots will be leaving the hands of the government.

[Spacemad]

When Michael Griffin is finally approved as NASA's new chief I think we can hope to see changes for the better in all aspects of NASA's Return To Space programme.

[Spacemad]

Originally posted by astromark@Apr 2 2005, 09:41 AM
It is So wrong to point at the Other space craft that has been good enuff to shuttle the ISS crews up and down as required while the Shuttle has been unable to shuttle as requiered. Speak softly oh fool least you might be herd. :blink:

The next crew of the ISS have now arrived. They will make ready to receive the Shuttle after its return to flight in just a few weeks time


Replacement crew arrives at space station:
ISS exchange crews

[Karen M.]

Another delay. Now it's July.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space...RM_Exclude=Juno

K

[Spacemad]

Although the launch has been put of till July it will give NASA technicians the time to correct other abnormalities observed on the launch pad.

[Spacemad]

Although the shuttle's, Discovery, has been put off till the middle of July, NASA continues to work on the shuttle's tank in which some problems were detected when they last filled it with its full pay load of fuel.

Here's a link to an article about this:NASA to retest shuttle's fuel tank

[antoniseb]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/05/10/nasa.ins...l.ap/index.html

This is a CNN article that tells a little more about why the shuttle is being delayed. Very embarassing.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Unfortunately this is a symptom of the culture which existed at NASA. Short cuts were taken tomake sure the vehicles flew. Each day the shuttle was delayed added huge amounts to the cost. These were expenses that NASA could not afford so the pressure from above was to get the thing off the ground.
This culture was supposed to have been changed after similar pressure to fly resulted in the loss of Challenger and her crew in 1986.
Spaceflight is inherently a dangerous undertaking and it is almost certain that more crews will be lost. However the fact that the brave souls who fly these machines are prepared to risk their lives does not mean that loses should be accepted lightly. On the contrary all that can be done to keep them safe MUST be done.
The replacement for the shuttle must have an adequate launch escape system.
If America is to venture back to the moon and on to Mars it must be prepared to pay for it. If budgets are to low the short cut culture will creep back in at NASA and the cost will be more Astronauts lives.

[Spacemad]

What you say, Waspie, is perfectly true, unfortunately, & the shortcutting will return if the space budget is too low.

I was shocked when I first read the story about Billy Thomas Thornton! I just can't imagine how an inspector like him with so many years of experience could pass over inspections & falsify the records - especially after the Challenger disaster!

He was responsible for the lives of many astronauts - how he could live with what he did I just don't know! When a job like his becomes so routine for the person in charge I suppose he just didn't give it any importance any more. (familiarity breeds contempt?)