Space Shuttle Roars off into Space

[Guest]

[savage727]

Wow what a beautiful sight it was to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery lift off from Cape Kennedy!  What was even more awsome was the new camera technology NASA mounted on the Shuttle showing for the first time real time imagery of the Booster Rockets and Main Fuel Tank separation in flight.  My hopes and prayers go out to the crew for a safe and successful mission and return.

[ferdinand_the_yak]

Yes I have my fingers crossed that they have a safe and successful mission as well... what a nerve racking experience it was watching it lift off and praying that all would go to plan

[savage727]

We are damned lucky not to have had another diaster!      If you have not heard the news, NASA has grounded all future Shuttle flights because large chunks of foam debris came off the Shuttle's Main Fuel Tank again.  This is exactly what doomed the last Shuttle.  NASA spent millions of dollars on a fix to the problem which they claimed was solved and assurred everyone that this would not happen again.  This flight NASA installed over 100 extra high speed cameras to see if any foam debris was visible during launch.  It sure was - big pieces came off again that could easily have impacted the Shuttle causing cataclysmic damage.  How the debris missed the Shuttle only God knows.  The Shuttle is now docked with the International Space Station and undergoing a review to see if there is any damage.  The plan was if the Shuttle was ever damaged the crew would abandon the Shuttle and stay at the Space Station while the next Shuttle Atlantis was readied for a rescue mission.  Well that's all fine and well provided the rescue craft did not suffer impact damage on launch as well!  If that ever were to happen then all those folks would truely be Lost in Space.     

[Nienna]

Oh my goodness!!  
I remember that awful video footage of the 'O' ring disaster mission from before (who could forget it!?) and I sincerely hope the astronauts return safely this time around. 
All I can say is that it sounds like NASA 'thought' they'd soved the problem ... maybe a new Shuttle being built would be the answer ... but the cost of an undertaking of that magnitude is staggering given today's economics!
I really think that the Space exploration programme will grind to halt unless these safety issues are sorted out satisfactorily - you can't expect men and women to keep on sacrificing themselves because of bureaucratic stupidity - they have families too!



*on a lighter note .... a totally random fact for you Ed* ... my late mum once asked me if there was something I really wanted to do ... a burning ambition if you like ... and I said ..'I'd like to go into Space!'
She was shocked and could never understand my fascination with science fiction/fantasy and Space missions till I reminded her that I'd grown up with it and accepted it as something normal! LOL
The funny and sad part of this, is I'm a lousy flyer and wouldn't be able to cope with the cramped conditions on board unless I was sedated ... plus the fact I'm too old and not fit enough to be given a second look!
Oh well ... it's nice to shoot for the moon ...

[savage727]

Well Jules that is a pretty cool ambition - one that I shared with you.  It was my goal to enter the Astronaut Corps from the Marines after gaining enough flight time.  I was well on my way too having gained the necessary flight hours, attending Test Pilots School, and having an engineering background.  Tactical flying has its dangers even if you are not at the controls.  I had flown my aircraft to a base for avionics upgrade and was a passenger on a Marine Corps helicopter returning to my home field when it crashed.  We were all very lucky to survive but I got banged up pretty badly having most of the bones in both arms broken and a piece of metal in my right eye.  I ended staying in the hospital for over 3 months and needed time for rehab as well.  It was during this time that I was going to apply for the Astronaut program but all that went out the window with the crash and injuries.  I love flying and would not trade a minute of my experiences in both war and peace for anything - well maybe if Madame Hootch and her regrow bone potion was available I might have!   

[MakTheYak]

If that ever were to happen then all those folks would truely be Lost in Space.

They are saying on the news that the backup plan is to thumb a lift home from the Russians, so at least it won't come to that.

How feasable is that though- do they have some people already up there or something? Or would they have to make a special trip?

I suppose there is something good about the "space race" rivalry, it meant that technologies were developed separately and so they shouldn't have the same problem.

[savage727]

Way to go Mark!!  You are 100% correct.  I actually forgot about the Russian capability.  They would have to make a special trip and the craft the Russian's use cannot hold all of the Astronauts from the Shuttle so they would have to make multiple trips and I do not know how feasible that is.  It would also take time to make ready the Russian effort as their craft are not just available for launch on a moments notice.  That is where the beauty of the Space Station comes in for they can all stay there as long as food, water, and air is available until a rescue is launched.

[Nienna]

I read some more reports about this earlier on today and I have to say that NASA have been remiss to let things slide this far. 
To put lives in danger like this is unacceptable and I'm waiting to see if a decision is made for the astronauts to do a space walk to try and fix the foam pieces protruding and secure the heat shielding tiles (if they can of course). Tough choices to be made and I don't envy them.
It might be they have to stay on the Space Station for a while with regular supplies shuttled up to them, but what will the effects be on their bodies if they remain for an extended period weightless ... I know others have done it previously but I've not known what the long-term effects have been for these people?
Have you any other info on this please Ed?

I'm sure the Russians don't spend nearly as much on their Space program as the US does Ed, and I'm not too sure how healthy or unhealthy their current economy is to stand the cost of more than one trip every however-many years -  I seriously doubt they'd be able to do two or more trips unless they collaborated closely cash-wise with NASA to get these people back to Earth safely.

[Roz]

Jules, don't judge them too harsly, the problem with science is that everyone thinks it's so precise, exact and dependable. It's not, well it should be, but we know so little that what we know has great limitations.  NASA will have carried out numerous tests but nothing actually comes close to really trying it! It's so easy to say "this should have been done" and "that should have been done", but this is a time where I am sure NASA no longer has the infinite resources that it used to have, especially now the US has had to dedicate great funds to Iraq. I am not saying NASA is underfunded as I'm sure they have a great pile of cash, but not enough cash to cover testing out every eventuality - there are simply too many - if this is the case then they will have to have cut down to testing only the most likely possibilities etc etc.

I think NASA would chip in with Russia for the cost - it's only like sharing a lift with a friend and giving them a contribution towards petrol costs Besides I'm SURE they would love it if NASA asked for their help

[Roz]

They seem very confident on the news that come hell or high water the crew will get home safe!

[Nienna]

I'm sorry if I seemed to sound so harsh, but I'm just thinking of the previous disaster when all on board lost their lives ... I would hate for that to happen again.
I'm sure you're quite right in saying that NASA no longer have the same amount of funds to use as they once did ... guess I'm thinking about it from the point-of-view of the families the astronauts leave behind and the worry/upset they must be feeling over it all.

If there's a way to get them home safely, I've every confidence it will be found ... whoever would've thought that perhaps hitching a lift wth the Russian cosmonauts would be possible up until a few short years ago! Amazing really given how fiercely competitive they used to be!

[Nienna]

This is the lastest news courtesy of the ntlworld homepage (well here in the UK)...

Astronaut completes shuttle DIY job

03/08/2005 14:58

Astronaut Steve Robinson has successfully completed his risky mission to repair the Discovery space shuttle's heat shield.

Robinson was lowered on the International Space Station's robot arm to an area below Discovery's nose.

He then used his fingers to tug out two protruding strips of ceramic-fibre material with surprisingly little effort.

He had equipped himself with a small hacksaw, scissors and forceps in case he could not pull the strips out by hand.

Robinson did not appear to damage any of the shuttle's fragile tiles.

The thin strips in question are each about six inches long and are placed between the tiles to cushion them.

The astronaut was called back to the shuttle's airlock after completing the task.

Nasa engineers ordered the spacewalk and DIY repair job after becoming increasingly concerned that the protruding filler could affect the craft's aerodynamics and potentially lead to a repeat of the 2003 Columbia tragedy during Discovery's re-entry next week.

Astronauts have never ventured beneath an orbiting shuttle before, and have never attempted repairs to the fragile thermal skin in space.