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MLP Q&A by roma847 on 19 Nov, 2014 21:09
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Hey guys,
there are a lot of questions around the different Shuttle MLPs (MLP-1, MLP-2, MLP-3) like this one.
Does anyone of you know what this red device on the Stair housing is?
Source: capcomespace.net
It looks like an alarm bell, or is that a siren or a warning light?
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#1 by Jim on 20 Nov, 2014 02:05
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a bell
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#2 by mheney on 20 Nov, 2014 02:31
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It seems amazing that that would survive a launch. I mean, LOOK at those SRBs right there ....
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#3 by Nomadd on 20 Nov, 2014 02:39
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An intrinsically safe bell. That means it goes for about $600 instead of $50.
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#4 by roma847 on 20 Nov, 2014 15:52
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Thanks Guys,
I also think that it will be a bell, but a very robust because it has to withstand a lot when the SSWS is activated and the shuttle stack is launching in the huge fireball of the SSMEs and the SRBs.
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#5 by Hog on 20 Nov, 2014 22:09
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It has a rain-bird aimed directly at it from behind, and there is a rainbird directly in front(you can see the base of the rainbird in the foreground on the left.
Here is a Sound Supression Water System Test.
The stack is off the pad by a bit before the rainbirds get water on the MLP surface.
Now I'm all curious on the surviveability of that bell. How many "bells" did STS go through?
Next question, is this bell on the SLS MLP? -
#6 by roma847 on 21 Nov, 2014 15:50
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Thanks Hog for this amazing video.
I don't know exactly, but I suspect it could be one of the last Discovery's missions.
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#7 by roma847 on 02 Jan, 2015 15:54
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Hello friends,
first I want to wish you all a Happy New Year.
Does anyone have old photos of the MLPs of the early missions with higher resolution, particularly from the Side-2 of MLP-2 during Challenger's first mission STS-6, or the following missions?
Especially the two thinner pipes located there above the LOX lines at that time were running differently for MLP-1, MLP-2 and MLP-3 and had one or two kinks.
Source: NASA (STS-115)
While the kink at MLP-2 and also MLP-3 is on the left side of the mount support interface, at MLP-1 there are two kinks, which are located on the right side of the support.
Source: NSF (NasaPhotographer) (STS-116)
Unfortunately I do not have such great photos of the early missions as STS-6.
Your help would be much appreciated.
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#8 by roma847 on 03 Jan, 2015 21:18
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Meantime I have found this old photo from the rollout of Challenger's STS-8 (1983), where you can only dimly recognize the running of the pipes with the inclined kink left next to the Mount support at a higher magnification.
Source: NASA
Does anyone know wherefore these thinner pipes have been used?
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#9 by spacecane on 04 Jan, 2015 12:43
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Would somebody survive if they were inside the MLP during a launch?
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#10 by DaveS on 04 Jan, 2015 12:49
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Would somebody survive if they were inside the MLP during a launch?
No. -
#11 by roma847 on 04 Jan, 2015 15:01
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Hey Dave,
I would have thought that you might know the answer to my question.
Now I would think of two more experts who could know, maybe padrat and possibly JayP. Maybe they come forward up yet, I would be very happy.
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#12 by roma847 on 27 Feb, 2015 22:32
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Does anyone have technical drawings of the Rainbirds of the MLPs? For the dimensions of the two different types I have found different data.
Source: NASA
In NASA Facts online (SSWS) is written, that the rainbirds are 12' (3,7 m) high. The two in the center are 42'' (107 cm) in diameter, the other four have a 30'' (76 cm) diameter.
But in the MLP Report I have found, that all of the spray pipes have a height of 10'-6'' (3,2 m), which includes the 6' (1,83 m) diameter slanted hood at the top.
The two center pipes have a 4' (1,22 m) diameter. The other four pipes are smaller, with a diameter of only 2'-6'' (76 cm).
What information is correct now?
NASA drawings would be very helpful.
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#13 by roma847 on 27 Apr, 2016 05:58
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Hello everybody,
is there anybody, who has any idea of the purpose for this pipe on the central rainbird in the blast deck, and why the other rainbirds do not need it?
Source: NASA-Google Street View
Source: NASA
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#14 by the_other_Doug on 27 Apr, 2016 18:39
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I don't know the answer, but in the best NSF tradition, I can speculate...
My best speculation is that this pipe is a conduit for pressure and flow sensors mounted into this particular rainbird. It seems the right size for being an armored conduit for the wiring from a sensor package. It could also be used to pull water samples from the rainbird system, though I don't have any speculations as to why you would need water sampling from one end of the system.
The question would then be, why in the world would only one of the rainbirds be fitted out with such a sensor package? Again, speculation is in order...
My first thought is that the rainbird in question is at the end of the plumbing run. You could get overall system pressure and flow information from the valving that feeds the system, but you might want the rainbird at the end of the run to show a minimum level of pressure and flow; by inference, all of the rest of the rainbirds farther up the run would then be considered to have sufficient pressure and flow. After all, you would then have measurements at both ends of the plumbing run.
If there is not a plumbing run -- i.e., if the rainbirds are fed from a single multi-plexing valve assembly that feeds each rainbird separately -- then perhaps they felt they only needed representative sensor data from one rainbird, from which they could extrapolate the performance of the rest. Not as likely, I think, as a plumbing run, but still possible.
So -- those are my best WAG speculations. If they help, wonderful. If not, sorry to waste y'all's time...
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#15 by roma847 on 27 Apr, 2016 22:15
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Thanks Doug for your interesting brainstorming,
although we have no proof, but that would be conceivable explanatory approaches.
Perhaps padrat or JayP could know it more exactly?
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#16 by roma847 on 06 Jun, 2016 13:21
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Hello everybody,
does anyone know for what this wrapped round part was used?
Source: NASA
Here it is undisguised.
Source: NASA
Might this have been an interface for the booster ignition?
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#17 by roma847 on 06 Mar, 2017 06:29
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Hello everybody,
another question dealing with the colors of the Water Bags, maybe somebody knows it.
On older pictures like this here from STS-2, it looks as if they were uniformly red during the first missions.
Source: capcomespace.net
During later missions to the end of the shuttle program the water bags around the SRBs were yellow.
Source: NASA
Source: youtube.com
Does anyone know when and why the colors were changed?
BTW, whether these water bags at STS-6 were uniformly red too, I have unfortunately not yet been able to find out, but I strongly suspect it.
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#18 by roma847 on 08 May, 2017 14:59
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Hello everybody,
is there anyone who knows wherefore such boxes were installed on both sides of the MLPs during early missions?
Source: NASA (STS-1)
Maybe these were water tanks (Firex?), because red pipes were installed on their right side?
Later they were removed, as one can see here on this image of STS-79 (1996). But since then, this new equipment (green marked) has appeared.
Source: NASA (STS-79)
Thanks in advance for your help.
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#19 by roma847 on 13 Mar, 2019 10:47
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Hello everyone,
who of the MLP experts does know what these red marked pipelines were needed for and since when they were installed on the MLP-2's Side 2?
This should be Challenger's rollout at STS-51B (1985).
Source: facebook.com (Ralph Tallon)
All I know is that these pipes did not exist on MLP-2 for the STS-6 or STS-8 yet, just the Pipe Supports, as one can see on this later photo from 1998.
Source: apollosaturn.com (John Duncan)
In this picture from the STS-29 (1989) these pipes were already dismantled too,
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Ares67)
what one can just still see at higher magnification.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
