That was a really interesting read!
I'm surprised more things don't fall off with all that vibration of SSME igntion.
Read the presentations on L2, all very interesting and understandable, but appreciate the write up!
Thanks Chris. Apart from the parachute - one excellent, clean flight!
On the parachutes I recently read:
Always remember the old adage, "Better is the enemy of good," so you've got to be careful. You remember they made an improvement in the pyro [pyrotechnics] system on STS-4 that deployed the chutes for the solid rocket motors. Something happened and they fell, and both our solid rocket motors went in the ocean and we never got them back. No chutes. I can't remember whether the chutes didn't deploy, or they deployed and immediately released, or something, but, anyhow, I know we lost the solid rocket motors.
5 June 2001 28 Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Henry W. “Hank” Hartsfield, Jr.