Author Topic: LIVE: STS-116 Landing Weather (Read 60368 times)

hutchel · « **Reply #60 on:** 12/21/2006 07:18 pm »

Just need to install a hook - maybe open the bay and use the arm? ;-) Gotta be real good - no opportunity for a go-around incase you miss the arresting cable.

hoorenz · « **Reply #61 on:** 12/21/2006 10:09 pm »

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hutchel - 21/12/2006 8:24 PM

I can just see the return trip to KSC - Maybe strapped to the deck of an Aircraft Carrier? Certainly the 747 can't carry enough gas to shuttle it.

So how did they get the 747 and Enterprise to Paris in 1983?

Jim · « **Reply #62 on:** 12/22/2006 12:10 am »

went north thru Canada and Iceland

psloss · « **Reply #63 on:** 12/22/2006 12:14 am »

Enterprise was probably a lot lighter than the flight orbiters in a flight configuration, too...

psloss · « **Reply #64 on:** 12/22/2006 12:28 am »

Latest weather forecast is out:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/smg/landfcsts_conus_pg1.html

No changes to the forecast for tomorrow...marginal at KSC and EDW, go at NOR. Chance of ceilings and precip at KSC for both its opportunities, chance of crosswinds at Edwards for its opportunities (and some turbulence at altitude).

jschaef5 · « **Reply #65 on:** 12/22/2006 01:20 am »

Why is there a crosswind limit for a landing at EDW? Can't they bring it down in any direction on the lake bed? Making it a full headwind, the higher the wind the better in this case.

Jim · « **Reply #66 on:** 12/22/2006 01:21 am »

lake bed is wet

rdale · « **Reply #67 on:** 12/22/2006 01:26 am »

I'm feeling pretty good about KSC at this point... It appears the front is slowing up just a tad - possibly enough to keep rain out of the first landing opportunity. Cloudiness is still where I worry however.

Wind forecasts for Edwards AFB (at least on the computer output) are MUCH lower with the latest guidance, now out of the northwest around 10-15kts. Winds are a very local phenomenon so I'm not going to place too much emphasis on that, as we saw with launch day (when winds near the pad were 15-20kts but only 8-10kts a few miles away at the landing facility.) As a matter of fact - the short range only guidance (updated every 3-5 hours) says winds less than 10. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/lamp/lamp_bull.pl?sta=EDW

So if we're lucky all this NOR talk may be for naught ;>

rdale · « **Reply #68 on:** 12/22/2006 01:28 am »

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Jim - 21/12/2006 9:04 PM

lake bed is wet

Lakebed runways 15/33 are green - the latter of which would be a direct headwind. 18L is unusable but that never would be in the mix given current wx.

jschaef5 · « **Reply #69 on:** 12/22/2006 01:38 am »

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Jim - 21/12/2006 9:04 PM

lake bed is wet

hmm... it must have rained there since Saturday cause it was completely dry then....

and even then Rodgers dry lake bed should be clear by now...

rdale · « **Reply #70 on:** 12/22/2006 01:38 am »

This morning's execute package is where I got my green info from.

psloss · « **Reply #71 on:** 12/22/2006 01:54 am »

FWIW, just listening to some commentary from earlier today...the weather pilots tomorrow are:

Steve Lindsey at KSC
Dom Gorie at EDW
Brent Jett at NOR

psloss · « **Reply #72 on:** 12/22/2006 02:26 am »

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rdale - 21/12/2006 9:09 PM

So if we're lucky all this NOR talk may be for naught ;>

This is the biggest tease for NOR I can remember. Someone here mentioned STS-99 (much less White Sands talk then); in that case I think they ended up getting into KSC. Hopefully that will happen again.

rdale · « **Reply #73 on:** 12/22/2006 02:46 am »

WSMR forecasters say lows will be near 32 Saturday morning, then in the twenties for the next few... https://wsmrc2vger.wsmr.army.mil/weather/public/forecast.htm

DaveS · « **Reply #74 on:** 12/22/2006 02:52 am »

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rdale - 22/12/2006 4:29 AM

WSMR forecasters say lows will be near 32 Saturday morning, then in the twenties for the next few... https://wsmrc2vger.wsmr.army.mil/weather/public/forecast.htm

Not a concern since purge and power units will have been flown in from KSC in time for a landing at WSSH.

rdale · « **Reply #75 on:** 12/22/2006 02:57 am »

No concern at all? I'd have to believe that the orbiter at least externally going through a hard freeze / thaw cycle for two months might be at least something they'd need to examine closely before sending back up...

DaveS · « **Reply #76 on:** 12/22/2006 03:15 am »

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rdale - 22/12/2006 4:40 AM

No concern at all? I'd have to believe that the orbiter at least externally going through a hard freeze / thaw cycle for two months might be at least something they'd need to examine closely before sending back up...

As I said, KSC is sending one purge unit and one power unit. They do exactly wha their names says they do: they purge and provide external electrical power for the orbiter. With the external power they can power all the various heaters to prevent any freezing from occuring.

Remember these heaters are designed to cope even with the very cold environment of space(-250°C), so if they can cope with that kind of cold, they can easily cope with the temperatures expected at WSSH.

rdale · « **Reply #77 on:** 12/22/2006 03:32 am »

I forget it tends to get cold in space ;>

EW-3 · « **Reply #78 on:** 12/22/2006 06:12 am »

OK, another beginner question.
What exactly is wrong with the KSC conditions?
Low cloud deck? Why is the shuttle different than any other aircraft landing under IFR.
Is there some absolute reason, based on the laws of physics why it can't land safely?

rdale · « **Reply #79 on:** 12/22/2006 08:03 am »

Clouds and precip.