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#140
by
butters
on 11 Jul, 2009 18:32
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It may also be helpful to know that the LH2 and LOX tanks for the fuel cells are located underneath the floor of the payload bay, in the midbody.
I have a question: what are SRB water baggies? Chris mentioned them this morning, but google wasn't doing it for me. Sound suppression?
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#141
by
oxford750
on 11 Jul, 2009 19:37
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Thanks folks.
Oxford750
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#142
by
Jim
on 11 Jul, 2009 20:24
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#143
by
oxford750
on 11 Jul, 2009 20:49
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Hi folks,
Here to ask more questions.
1) Does anyone know how "dirty" the "white room" gets after a launch?
2) I was reading NASA Facts on launch Complex 39. pads A & B, and noticed that in one photo of "the stack" at the pad, you could see the flame trench, and I remembered once that someone told me, there is a metal inverted "v" in the trench that deflects flames from the SRB's one way, and flames from the SSME's the other. That is why the "steam" from the SSME's goes one way and the smoke from the SRB's goes the other way
My question is: why is that deflector there?
3) How are some valves recycled? ie: ET/GUCP valve. My understanding is either a valve is open or closed and if there is a leak around it, it won't change the situation till you tighten the valve physicaly(spel) and/or replace it.
Thanks
Oxford750
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#144
by
Jim
on 11 Jul, 2009 21:00
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2) I was reading NASA Facts on launch Complex 39. pads A & B, and noticed that in one photo of "the stack" at the pad, you could see the flame trench, and I remembered once that someone told me, there is a metal inverted "v" in the trench that deflects flames from the SRB's one way, and flames from the SSME's the other. That is why the "steam" from the SSME's goes one way and the smoke from the SRB's goes the other way
My question is: why is that deflector there?
To divert the exhaust away from the stack. Flames and energy (noise) would bounce back if there was only flat surface.
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#145
by
billshap
on 12 Jul, 2009 01:52
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Who exactly is on the Mission Management Team? What positions? Do the same people comprise the pre-launch MMT at the Cape as the in-flight MMT in Houston?
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#146
by
oxford750
on 12 Jul, 2009 02:11
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Thanks Jim.
Oxford750
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#147
by
padrat
on 12 Jul, 2009 17:30
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Hi folks,
Here to ask more questions.
1) Does anyone know how "dirty" the "white room" gets after a launch?
3) How are some valves recycled? ie: ET/GUCP valve. My understanding is either a valve is open or closed and if there is a leak around it, it won't change the situation till you tighten the valve physicaly(spel) and/or replace it.
Thanks
Oxford750
1) You can see on some launch footage from inside the white room that it gets covered quite a bit with booster dust. It's basically open to the atmosphere during launch.
3) I'm not sure about the valve in the ET, but the vent valve on the GSE side just downstream from the GUCP (along with a few other valves in our system) is a pneumatically operated butterfly valve. When it's open for a long period of time with supercold hydrogen flowing through it, they have a tendency to stiffen up and not close completely. so occasionally you have to cycle it open then closed again to get it to seal. I imagine the valve in the ET is the same way. I'm just not sure what type of valve it is. I want to say it's a type of poppet or piston valve. maybe someone else knows for sure. I"ll ask our engineer when I get in to work later this afternoon.
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#148
by
hygoex
on 12 Jul, 2009 22:38
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What will happen to the RSS from Pad 39B and 39A for that matter? Is there going to be a plan to preserve parts of it for public display?
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#149
by
Jones36
on 13 Jul, 2009 00:29
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OK this one is off the wall, saw it on the NasaKSC Facebook.
Would VAFB launches to ISS been feasible?
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#150
by
oxford750
on 13 Jul, 2009 00:51
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Thanks Padrat.
Oxford750
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#151
by
Jim
on 13 Jul, 2009 01:07
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OK this one is off the wall, saw it on the NasaKSC Facebook.
Would VAFB launches to ISS been feasible?
No,The shuttle can't get to 51.8 degrees from there
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#152
by
Danny Dot
on 13 Jul, 2009 01:12
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OK this one is off the wall, saw it on the NasaKSC Facebook.
Would VAFB launches to ISS been feasible?
No,The shuttle can't get to 51.8 degrees from there
It probably could if you don't mind putting the SRBs someplace they shouldn't be :-)
Danny Deger
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#153
by
hygoex
on 13 Jul, 2009 11:26
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When the White Room is disassembled, how much of a gap is it between the orbiter hatch opening and the white room floor? If the astronauts had to get out quickly, wouldn't that pose a safety risk in itself, considering the White room personnel have to be harnessed after disassembling the White Room?
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#154
by
glen4cindy
on 13 Jul, 2009 11:41
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I somewhat understand that NASA has to calculate the launch time based on where the ISS is in orbit to determine launch time, but, why is this window so critical?
What sort of an impact would launching 30 or so minutes before a given launch time, such as STS-127's 7:13 time this past Sunday. If they could have launched 30 minutes earlier, the weather might have been a GO for launch.
Would the shuttle not have been able to catch up with the station properly if launched a few minutes before or after the given window?
Thanks.
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#155
by
Jim
on 13 Jul, 2009 11:46
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I somewhat understand that NASA has to calculate the launch time based on where the ISS is in orbit to determine launch time, but, why is this window so critical?
What sort of an impact would launching 30 or so minutes before a given launch time, such as STS-127's 7:13 time this past Sunday. If they could have launched 30 minutes earlier, the weather might have been a GO for launch.
Would the shuttle not have been able to catch up with the station properly if launched a few minutes before or after the given window?
Thanks.
The shuttle would be in the wrong plane if it launched earlier or later than the window. The window size is determined by the shuttle's ability to steer into the right plane, which is very limited.
This has been answered in the shuttle Q&A thread
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#156
by
ugordan
on 13 Jul, 2009 11:48
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There are certain times in the launch window when ISS orbital plane intersects the launch site. That's one of the considerations. If you launch too early or late, Earth's rotation shifts you too far away from that plane so the Shuttle cannot rendezvous with ISS anymore, it doesn't have the fuel to get into the correct orbital plane during launch and especially during on orbit operations.
Plane change maneuvers are very expensive in terms of delta-V, not like raising/lowering the orbit by tens of kilometers.
EDIT: yeah, what Jim said.
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#157
by
butters
on 13 Jul, 2009 12:00
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When the White Room is disassembled, how much of a gap is it between the orbiter hatch opening and the white room floor? If the astronauts had to get out quickly, wouldn't that pose a safety risk in itself, considering the White room personnel have to be harnessed after disassembling the White Room?
I know there's an "egress pole" designed to guide escaping crew clear of the wing leading edge when bailing out in flight. I think it's deployed as a part of the pyrotechnic sequence that blows the hatch. I wonder if that also plays a role in helping the crew escape a pad emergency?
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#158
by
Jim
on 13 Jul, 2009 12:17
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When the White Room is disassembled, how much of a gap is it between the orbiter hatch opening and the white room floor? If the astronauts had to get out quickly, wouldn't that pose a safety risk in itself, considering the White room personnel have to be harnessed after disassembling the White Room?
I know there's an "egress pole" designed to guide escaping crew clear of the wing leading edge when bailing out in flight. I think it's deployed as a part of the pyrotechnic sequence that blows the hatch. I wonder if that also plays a role in helping the crew escape a pad emergency?
Pole is not used on the ground.
The gap is only a few inches and not a concern for crew.
The closeout crew wears a harness because the left wall of the white room is opened up during close out. It is to allow for the white room to swing into place in case the hatch is already open during an emergency egress.
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#159
by
Jones36
on 13 Jul, 2009 14:23
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That's what I thought, just wanted to double check.