Author Topic: The Life of Columbia  (Read 35382 times)

Offline Jamie Young

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #20 on: 02/21/2006 05:42 pm »
This is a good thread for anything Columbia. I agree.

Offline Ben E

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #21 on: 02/21/2006 07:37 pm »
I picked up an interesting story whilst doing some research on STS-3. Apparently, during their 'extra' day after being waved-off from landing at White Sands on March 29th 1982, Lousma and Fullerton had the opportunity to do some Earth photography. A few of their pictures were of a virtually cloud-free China.

When they returned to Earth, the two astronauts went on a goodwill tour to Beijing and gave a talk to high-ranking Chinese politicians about their mission. Upon showing one particular photograph of China, which they'd had matted and framed and intended to give to the Chinese premier as a gift, there was deathly silence in the auditorium. Lousma and Fullerton wondered what they'd done wrong. One of their NASA assistants told them that it was probably best that the US held onto that particular photograph for a while. It turned out to be a picture taken, inadvertantly, of a secret Chinese nuclear installation, which nobody knew existed. The two astronauts, for a while, wondered if they'd leave China alive!

Later, one of their fellow astronauts (I think it was Paul Scully-Power) arranged to have a copy of that photograph presented at one of the Monday morning pilots' meetings, chaired by John Young. Scully-Power asked a Chinese friend to write some important-looking Mandarin script across the photo for Lousma and Fullerton's benefit. The faked inscription read: "If you damn Yankees ever come over China again..."


Offline Flightstar

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #22 on: 02/21/2006 09:14 pm »
Are you aware of the fear that the water was contaminated and thuse landed with a very dehidrated and sick crew?

Offline psloss

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #23 on: 02/21/2006 10:26 pm »
I was teasing a little bit, since it would be a little wait to get to STS-40.  :)

Anyway, for now I've posted a few frames of home video from the post landing tow.  I was lucky enough to get passes onto Dryden Flight Research Center for the STS-40 landing; that was my third (and probably last) Edwards landing.  This was also the only time I got to see a landing from Dryden; the other two were from the public, porta-potty viewing site on the east side of Rogers Dry Lake...

As with most Edwards landings, they came into Runway 22, which is a ways away from where we were; I actually think the public viewing site was incredible for Runway 22 approaches -- the orbiter seemed to fly almost right over us.  But I'd take the Dryden visit, because we got to watch the landing convoy tow Columbia right by us over to the Mate Demate Facility.  I remember watching a little of the post landing tow after STS-114 and getting a little nostagic about this...

Anyway...

Offline Martin FL

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #24 on: 02/22/2006 12:58 am »
Any reason they tow orbiters out of the OPFs on flatbeds, yet pull them via tractors after landing? To protect the wheels?

Offline psloss

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #25 on: 02/22/2006 01:39 am »
Quote
Martin FL - 21/2/2006  8:58 PM

Any reason they tow orbiters out of the OPFs on flatbeds, yet pull them via tractors after landing? To protect the wheels?
Actually, they used to tow the orbiters to the VAB for stacking with the gear down, but the transporter -- which was originally going to be for Vandenberg processing (much longer trip from the OMCF to SLC-6 -- MILES) -- allows the gear to be closed out in the OPF for flight.  (I'm sure the KSC folks can explain all the reasons -- it's probably more than just that.)

Actually, I would presume that the only time the orbiters are put on the transporter is when going to the VAB for stacking.  (As opposed to going to the VAB for temporary storage -- which may be less likely now that there are only three orbiters.)

Offline norm103

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #26 on: 02/22/2006 03:15 am »
Quote
Actually, I would presume that the only time the orbiters are put on the transporter is when going to the VAB for stacking.

They also have used it to go to and from the MDD.

Offline SimonShuttle

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #27 on: 02/22/2006 10:16 am »
She looks very scorched there, compared to what we saw with Discovery on STS-114.

Offline British NASA

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #28 on: 02/22/2006 12:24 pm »
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SimonShuttle - 22/2/2006  5:16 AM

She looks very scorched there, compared to what we saw with Discovery on STS-114.

At the nose, more noticably, yes.

Offline psloss

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #29 on: 02/22/2006 12:28 pm »
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SimonShuttle - 22/2/2006  6:16 AM

She looks very scorched there, compared to what we saw with Discovery on STS-114.
Some of that was probably my bad.  This was recorded with a pre-CCD camcorder and I also forgot to white balance it.  That was a memorable day, and there were a lot of little things like that I forgot to do in the excitement.

The scary thing is that this happened 15 years ago.

Offline Launch Fan

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #30 on: 02/24/2006 06:27 pm »
Keep the pictures coming. Don't want this thread to slip.

Offline mkirk

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #31 on: 02/24/2006 06:46 pm »
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Flightstar - 18/2/2006  8:58 PM

Funny story about the white ET. It was a pretty much bad paint job. It was touched up only on the side facing the TV cameras. It was a show tank if ever there was one.

Here is a good angle of the STS1 ET paint job.

Mark Kirkman
Mark Kirkman

Offline mkirk

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #32 on: 02/24/2006 06:50 pm »
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Launch Fan - 24/2/2006  1:27 PM

Keep the pictures coming. Don't want this thread to slip.

I'll be doing my part over time.

Many more pics and stories to come from all here missions.  Also a lot more as we get closer to the STS-1 Anniversary.

Mark Kirkman
Mark Kirkman

Offline Jamie Young

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #33 on: 02/24/2006 08:18 pm »
Quote
mkirk - 24/2/2006  1:46 PM

Quote
Flightstar - 18/2/2006  8:58 PM

Funny story about the white ET. It was a pretty much bad paint job. It was touched up only on the side facing the TV cameras. It was a show tank if ever there was one.

Here is a good angle of the STS1 ET paint job.

Mark Kirkman

Not as pure white as we first thought!

Offline NASA_Twix_JSC

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #34 on: 02/24/2006 09:39 pm »
Doesn't seem like 25 years ago, does it.

Online DaveS

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #35 on: 02/24/2006 09:47 pm »
Well, on the same day it will be 45 years since human spaceflight began with the launch of the Soviet Vostok 1 spacecraft with its lone occupant Yuri Gagarin. Just a little fun to know thing.
"For Sardines, space is no problem!"
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"We're rolling in the wrong direction but for the right reasons"
-USA engineer about the rollback of Discovery prior to the STS-114 Return To Flight mission

Offline Jamie Young

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #36 on: 02/24/2006 10:50 pm »
To think things jumped in such huge leaps makes you wonder where we'll be in 40 years time if the will is there.

Maybe I could go to a Mars hotel for my retirement party! :)

Offline Avron

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #37 on: 02/25/2006 02:14 pm »
Quote
Jamie Young - 24/2/2006  4:18 PM

Quote
mkirk - 24/2/2006  1:46 PM

Quote
Flightstar - 18/2/2006  8:58 PM

Funny story about the white ET. It was a pretty much bad paint job. It was touched up only on the side facing the TV cameras. It was a show tank if ever there was one.

Here is a good angle of the STS1 ET paint job.

Mark Kirkman

Not as pure white as we first thought!

Looks a lot like my kitchen...:(  It is good to note that the PR was that important, that effort was make to at least make it look good.

Offline Jamie Young

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #38 on: 02/27/2006 05:21 pm »
On that STS-1 picture I see they didn't put a black "armband" around one of the SRBs. When did that start (sorry this is a bit off topic).

Offline Space101

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RE: The Life of Columbia
« Reply #39 on: 02/27/2006 06:26 pm »
There's a black mark above the skirt, about the second segement, that could have been it on that stack?
Let's go and explore space.

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