I'd say something...but it's not gonna take away from the fact that bad luck and incompetence is becoming the trademark of this mission. :angry:
pad rat - 13/6/2007 11:32 AM The tech did not fall on the array. He was using a wrench on the clampband that holds the spacecraft to its payload attach fitting and the wrench slipped, gashing the composite sheet on which the solar cells are attached. The array manufacturer has examined the damage and will make repairs with no impact to the schedule. The tech feels really bad about this and made an apology to the team.
*Breathes a sigh of relief*
The tech deserves a dock in his next paycheck for that mishap. :bleh:
punkboi - 13/6/2007 5:56 PMp> *Breathes a sigh of relief* The tech deserves a dock in his next paycheck for that mishap. :bleh:
jimvela - 13/6/2007 3:07 PMAnother article on this topic appeared here:http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12060-dawn-spacecraft-damaged-but-still-set-for-launch.html
dbhyslop - 13/6/2007 6:04 PM Quotepunkboi - 13/6/2007 5:56 PM p> *Breathes a sigh of relief* The tech deserves a dock in his next paycheck for that mishap. :bleh: Will docking his pay make him feel sorrier? Everyone--from garbagemen to air traffic controllers to generals and presidents--make mistakes. This mistake could just as easily been done by the guy next to him and he already feels horrible about it. Luckily its not going to delay the mission at all. No reason to start a lynch mob.
punkboi - 13/6/2007 5:56 PM p> *Breathes a sigh of relief* The tech deserves a dock in his next paycheck for that mishap. :bleh:
Hmm... I guess I should've used a wackier emoticon to indicate I wasn't being serious. How 'bout this one? :laugh:
It's a good thing Dawn's launch window lasts for a couple of months (till October)...as opposed to just two months (January to February of last year, and February of this year if it didn't launch in '06) like New Horizons.
punkboi - 13/6/2007 2:56 PMQuotepad rat - 13/6/2007 11:32 AM The tech did not fall on the array. He was using a wrench on the clampband that holds the spacecraft to its payload attach fitting and the wrench slipped, gashing the composite sheet on which the solar cells are attached. The array manufacturer has examined the damage and will make repairs with no impact to the schedule. The tech feels really bad about this and made an apology to the team. *Breathes a sigh of relief* The tech deserves a dock in his next paycheck for that mishap. :bleh:
pad rat - 14/6/2007 6:16 AM While it's true the launch window does extend into the fall, Phoenix (MSL) will take precedence if Dawn does not launch before its operations conflict with the MSL launch. No, I don't know at what point Dawn would be put on a backburner (I may know later), but Phoenix does have precedence in the science pecking order. The reason Phoenix holds precedence is its launch window is very finite and would lead to a two-year delay if missed. Dawn has somewhat more flexibility in its celestial mechanics.
MSL is a different mission... The Mars Science Laboratory doesn't launch till 2009.
Delta Manager - 14/6/2007 7:33 AM He's already said he was joking. It was a dumb comment, but loosen up on the kids.
I think the 'dumb comment' part negated it...but thanks for backing me up anyway.
As far as Spacedaily, and their headline "Dawn spacecraft never damaged" - well that's just silly.
Chris Bergin - 14/6/2007 2:18 PMLarge set of images of the damage has been acquired and published in L2. Here's one for those of you who aren't L2 members: