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#560
by
Radioheaded
on 18 Dec, 2006 16:13
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Very simple question: The list of CONUS sites, does NOR= Norfolk?
edit: Nevermind. I see that it's the Northrop strip. Where exactly is that located? Thanks in advance guys.
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#561
by
psloss
on 18 Dec, 2006 16:22
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#562
by
rdale
on 18 Dec, 2006 16:27
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Notice they have snow showers in their area tomorrow!
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#563
by
Radioheaded
on 18 Dec, 2006 16:41
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Thanks psloss. That is what I get for "skimming"
Snow showers @ Whitesands, and 74 F and sunny today here in Richmond
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#564
by
norm103
on 18 Dec, 2006 16:47
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if there is a issue on firday and they cant land on firday they move to saturday. where would they land if all 3 have bad wather.
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#565
by
elmarko
on 18 Dec, 2006 17:13
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A small question to help me simulate missions better in Orbiter
After deorbit burn, what is the usual perigee of the orbit of the orbiter? I found the STS-1 press kit, and after deorbit burn cut off it lists the orbit as being 150nm x 2nm. Is that normal for most flights? That is to say, I know it will probably vary a bit depending on the mission, but lets go for an approximation
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#566
by
rdale
on 18 Dec, 2006 17:39
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norm: I'd bet they start with the TAL sites and work down the list from there.
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#567
by
norm103
on 18 Dec, 2006 17:41
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but wouldnt that be even more time and money cus there over sea. dosnt vafb still have a shuttle runway?
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#568
by
psloss
on 18 Dec, 2006 18:10
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rdale - 18/12/2006 1:22 PM
norm: I'd bet they start with the TAL sites and work down the list from there.
I'd be curious if any the ECAL sites might be "better" than the TAL sites in that situation, too...Mark?
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#569
by
shuttlepilot5
on 19 Dec, 2006 05:12
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i just got 1 question about the landing. how do they do it?
I mean, im used to how a commercial airliner lands by using the ILS system. Im sure you guys are familiar with the common civil aviation ILS system.
but do the space shuttle use a similar system like the ILS? Or do they just track the runway visualy?
I think the pilot of the shuttle must have some sort of "navigation/landing system". But i dont know much about the space shuttle....so it would be great if you guys could just explain the basics of the landing(ILS)
and i guess there is no chance for a go around.....they only have 1 chance..i suppose
im sure William Oefelein will do a nice landing......lol
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#570
by
STS-500Cmdr
on 19 Dec, 2006 05:29
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I would ECAL and US sites would come first--theres a contingency site-in just about every state--or close to it. I live in NH--Pease ANG base is always been a ECAL site or contingency site. Would be fun if she dropped into NH--a little excitement--a Space Shuttle landing in New Hampshire--the astronauts will be greeted by cows. Bob Crippen might-i'd certainly say "what a way to come to New Hampshire"--in a $3B space shuttle. I realize thats highly unlikely. On another note--why doesnt the shuttle land on the lake bed part of Edwards anymore when it lands there?? Did getting the sand out of the thing get to be too much of a pain?
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#571
by
EW-3
on 19 Dec, 2006 08:10
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Hi, New member, so be kind
Have been following NASA ever since watching Alan Shepard launched. My brother worked for Bendix at the Cape and before that at White Sands, and before that on the LEM at Gruman Bethpage. Had the pleasure of witnessing the first Saturn-1B go up, and then about a week later watched a Titan-3C self destruct. So I have a strong (infantile?) connection to the space program.
OK - It's 03:48 EST and I can't sleep. The last week, I've been able to follow this mission and it seems like the dreams of a little kid who watched Alan Shepard go up have been realized at least in part. Beamer is a true spaceman! What we used to dream of. It's real!
Problem is I can't sleep. I'm just so wound up...
It occurs to me that Beamer might be just a little wound up today too, even though he seems as cool as a cucumber and they are all incredibly disciplined people. But since they have tight timelines and no time for naps (?), what happens if they can't get to sleep?
Do they have a chill pill or something to wind them down a bit?
Thanks,
Al
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#572
by
Jim
on 19 Dec, 2006 10:51
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EW-3 - 19/12/2006 3:53 AM
Hi, New member, so be kind
Have been following NASA ever since watching Alan Shepard launched. My brother worked for Bendix at the Cape and before that at White Sands, and before that on the LEM at Gruman Bethpage. Had the pleasure of witnessing the first Saturn-1B go up, and then about a week later watched a Titan-3C self destruct. So I have a strong (infantile?) connection to the space program.
OK - It's 03:48 EST and I can't sleep. The last week, I've been able to follow this mission and it seems like the dreams of a little kid who watched Alan Shepard go up have been realized at least in part. Beamer is a true spaceman! What we used to dream of. It's real!
Problem is I can't sleep. I'm just so wound up...
It occurs to me that Beamer might be just a little wound up today too, even though he seems as cool as a cucumber and they are all incredibly disciplined people. But since they have tight timelines and no time for naps (?), what happens if they can't get to sleep?
Do they have a chill pill or something to wind them down a bit?
Thanks,
Al
they have sleeping pills available
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#573
by
Jim
on 19 Dec, 2006 10:52
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STS-500Cmdr - 19/12/2006 1:12 AM
I would ECAL and US sites would come first--theres a contingency site-in just about every state--or close to it. I live in NH--Pease ANG base is always been a ECAL site or contingency site. Would be fun if she dropped into NH--a little excitement--a Space Shuttle landing in New Hampshire--the astronauts will be greeted by cows. Bob Crippen might-i'd certainly say "what a way to come to New Hampshire"--in a $3B space shuttle. I realize thats highly unlikely. On another note--why doesnt the shuttle land on the lake bed part of Edwards anymore when it lands there?? Did getting the sand out of the thing get to be too much of a pain?
Because it doesn't need to. The concrete runway is adequate and closer to the facilities
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#574
by
Jim
on 19 Dec, 2006 10:52
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shuttlepilot5 - 19/12/2006 12:55 AM
i just got 1 question about the landing. how do they do it?
I mean, im used to how a commercial airliner lands by using the ILS system. Im sure you guys are familiar with the common civil aviation ILS system.
but do the space shuttle use a similar system like the ILS? Or do they just track the runway visualy?
I think the pilot of the shuttle must have some sort of "navigation/landing system". But i dont know much about the space shuttle....so it would be great if you guys could just explain the basics of the landing(ILS)
and i guess there is no chance for a go around.....they only have 1 chance..i suppose
im sure William Oefelein will do a nice landing......lol
MLS. Microwave landing system. Plus the orbiter uses GPS and INS
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#575
by
EW-3
on 19 Dec, 2006 10:56
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Thank you Jim.....
I would imagine it's particularly tough on first timers...
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#576
by
EW-3
on 19 Dec, 2006 11:08
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Gary - 19/12/2006 5:44 AM
EW-3 - 19/12/2006 11:39 AM
Thank you Jim.....
I would imagine it's particularly tough on first timers...
Landing?
A landing is ALWAYS the commanders responsbility and not the pilots. Mark Polansky will land Discovery. William Oefelein will probably hand fly PART of the approach.
This is standard practice for a shuttle landing.
Sorry I was referring to it being difficult to sleep in space for first timers. Night launches must make it even more difficult.
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#577
by
Gary
on 19 Dec, 2006 11:11
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Ohh sorry - No it's not. they sleep-shift the crew. I don't recall the wake up time for the Discovery crew but it was just a few hours prior to the launch. I think many of the sleep related problems for astronaunts are more to do with the noise of the environment and cronic backache.
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#578
by
Joffan
on 19 Dec, 2006 12:27
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shuttlepilot5 - 18/12/2006 10:55 PM
i just got 1 question about the landing. how do they do it?
I mean, im used to how a commercial airliner lands by using the ILS system. Im sure you guys are familiar with the common civil aviation ILS system.
but do the space shuttle use a similar system like the ILS? Or do they just track the runway visualy?
I think the pilot of the shuttle must have some sort of "navigation/landing system". But i dont know much about the space shuttle....so it would be great if you guys could just explain the basics of the landing(ILS)
and i guess there is no chance for a go around.....they only have 1 chance..i suppose
im sure William Oefelein will do a nice landing......lol
In addition to the other answers given, there's a good guide to all the ins and outs of landing the shuttle
here as a 461kB pdf (page 6 especially) or an overview of the timeline
here.
And yes, they have one chance only to land.
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#579
by
elmarko
on 19 Dec, 2006 16:57
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I was just reading Wikipedia, and came across this little snippet:
In Shuttle Down by Lee Corey, the space shuttle Atlantis is forced to make an emergency landing following a failed launch attempt. Since it's a polar orbit launch, they have to land on Easter Island.
What were the potential abort options for a Polar launch? RTLS and AoA would have been ok, but what options would have existed further along the launch site for any kind of intact sub-orbital abort? I'm not familiar with the geography of the area. Is Easter Island viable or was that a bit of artistic license used by the author?
Also, still looking for an answer to my deorbit burn perigee question, please?
