Posted on 06/12/2007 4:48:53 PM PDT by XBob
Space Shuttle's Left Wing May Be Damaged Meteorite, Space Junk May Have Struck Panels
POSTED: 5:13 pm EDT June 12, 2007 UPDATED: 7:00 pm EDT June 12, 2007 Email This Story | Print This Story Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts WASHINGTON -- A meteorite or space junk may have struck Space Shuttle Atlantis' left wing, according to NBC News space correspondent Jay Barbree.
NASA recorded a hit on reinforced carbon panels 7 and 8 on the left wing. The panels keep heat from re-entry from burning the spacecraft.
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This is the same area where foam damaged Columbia's left wing and caused it to break up, killing its crew on Feb. 1, 2003.
Well, another consideration is whether fertilisation is possible in micro-g or zero-g.
God was knocking. He wanted in bad.Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Footfall (1985)
“We need to stop putting people on the Oregon Trail.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
“We need to stop putting people up there in Alaska.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
“We need to stop sending people out West to build railroads.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
“We need to stop trying to fly like birds in those aeroplanes.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
“We need to stop fooling around with those submarine boats.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
“We need to stop trying to cross the Atlantic in an airplane.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
“We need to stop putting people up there in rockets.
It’s expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous.”
The weak and timid stay behind. Pioneers go forward — and damn the risks. “Expensive, worthless and most of all, dangerous” is the American Way.
The gang at NASA/Hubbell and the Star Trek producers must love that one
The actual 3 million years old background and the Enterprise Constitution refit in 2050
There are so many gorgeous nebula pictures out now!
“How many miles of border fence could be buit for that much.”
— —
About the same length of fence that has been built with the last $700 Million that was approved.
Most of our modern technology is the result of our efforts to get men into space. Yes, it is dangerous, but the effort has been nothing but beneficial since the time we first put a man into orbit.
The computer you just typed your blurb on owes its existence to our efforts to put men in space.
41 - “I’m 31 years old. For those older than me...how in the HELL do you sit still through a shuttle launch and landing? After what happened with the Challenger and Columbia, I’m on f**king pins and needles every time a shuttle goes up and when it comes in for landing.”
Well, you go outside from your shop at Kennedy Space Center, where you personally worked with your mates on the shuttle, with your portable radio, stand looking hopefully at the gantry launch tower where the shuttle sits, you cross your fingers, knowing that you did your job to the best of your ability, to assure a safe and error free mission, and that your signature is proudly there among the other 1.2 million signatures and certifications which were required for this average individual launch.
Then as as the countdown gets to 10 seconds, you shade your eyes, staring at the launch pad, (trying not to blink (so you you don’t miss anything), and as the coundown reaches about 3 seconds, and the first of the 3 main engine’s exhausts is lit-up by gigantic versions of a child’s sparkler, and the huge water pumps start to pump out around 500,000 gallons of water,in 30 seconds, through giant rain-bird style (yes the pop-up lawn sprinklers) to cool the launch equipment and platform to keep them from melting and to muffle the sound waves, protecting some from accoustic shock, and you watch as the main solid boosters ignite, hitting the massive streams of water, superheating it into a large cloud of superhot white steam vapor.
Then you plant your feet firmly on the ground, awaiting the sound shockwaves to hit your body with a big thump (and the kids today think they get turned on by feeling the throb of the big bass speakers at a rock concert? - try out a NASA sound thump), and you stare intently as she starts, so slowly, to lift off the pad, you cross your other fingers and all your toes too, and quietly chant the KSC mantra -— “GO BABY, GO”, repeatedly as she rises ever more quickly into the sky.
And then you follow the flight path closely until you see the solid boosters drop off and fall into the sea, and you continue watching and chanting, until you hear those magic words “presto meco” (translation press on to main engine cutoff), as she hurries out of sight, on her high speed mission.
That’s how I and most of my fellow workers at KSC, would STAND (not sit), through each launch.
However, there are others who sit at their desks, and glance out their windows, or look at the NASA TV’s, thinking “Good. I’ll be able to keep my swimming pool and still be able to have a have a nice swim tomorrow” as they chant their mantra: “SWIMMING POOL”, “SWIMMING POOL”, “SWIMMING POOL.”
One of the nice side benefits of viewing the launch on Kennedy Space Center, is that it is a huge wildlife sancturary, and there are large flocks of many types of beautiful and large birds, especially the snowy white egrets, and on occasion, you will be positioned where you can see two launches for the price of one, our shuttle launch, and simultaneously, God’s launch of thousands of beautiful birds as they also take flight, startled by the roar of our rockets.
There are at least two new systems in the pipe -- one is likely to be an Apollo-like system with a heavy, disposable booster rocket for heavy cargo and interplanetary travel, and the other a reusable, much smaller craft for crew transport and light cargo. Neither will arrive any time soon -- NASA is still entertaining proposals, and the first weld hasn't been made yet.
From Nasa spokesperson: “Nothing to worry about.” “Were not concerned.” “Oh, and by the way, everyone will be staying at the space station tonight.” “The shuttle will be unmanned.”
Debris from the recent Chinese anti-satellite test? They said it was messy, a large amount of debris flying in all directions and couldn’t be tracked.
ping 275, one of my better posts.
Actually, your name is already on the list.
Right underneath mine.
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