Shuttle Questions Q & A (Part 3)

• #780 by bernse on 09 Aug, 2007 17:08
• I haven't seen this asked,  and I've read the whole thread.. so hopefully I won't get lambasted for asking it!
  
  I recall during the Columbia investigation, there was talking about using other assets to image the vehicle during orbit.
  
  Now, I seem to vaguely recall very early in the program (STS-1 or 2) seeing images on TV of the shuttle in orbit, taken from a ground based telescope. The resolution likely wouldn't have been good enough to see Columbia sized damage, but nevertheless, it wasn't a terrible image. I remember the atmosphere distorting the image a bit too. I seem to also recall the image was taken from Hawaii.
  
  Assuming I'm not dreaming of that (I was about 10 years old at the time!) does anyone else recall "official" ground based photos/imaging? These were nothing like some of the images we see often now from amateurs of it in orbit, it was a quite large, somewhat "clear" image I think with the idea of seeing if there was major sections of tile shedding.
  
  Secondly, are there any publicly available images of the shuttle made from other assets in orbit (other than ISS)? I'm thinking something like keyhole satellite? Or heck, even Soviet if anyone knows of such a thing?
• #781 by Jim on 09 Aug, 2007 18:27
• see here
  http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13227.html
  
  Not going to see phots from "other" assets
• #782 by Jorge on 09 Aug, 2007 18:31
• Quote

  HarryM - 9/8/2007  11:45 AM
  
  How many crew on the LON flight?

  
  Four. CDR, PLT, and two EVA-qualed MSes.
• #783 by bernse on 09 Aug, 2007 19:11
• Quote

  Jim - 9/8/2007  12:27 AM
  
  see here
  http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13227.html
  
  Not going to see phots from "other" assets

  Thanks very much! Ironic it's of 107. If only the resolution was a bit better.
• #784 by SpaceNutz SA on 09 Aug, 2007 19:16
• How would the shuttle perform if it did not do the normal throttle-down-throttle-up through Max Q (ie: went through it at full taps)?
• #785 by Danny Dot on 09 Aug, 2007 19:20
• Quote

  SpaceNutz SA - 9/8/2007  2:16 PM
  
  How would the shuttle perform if it did not do the normal throttle-down-throttle-up through Max Q (ie: went through it at full taps)?

  
  I am not sure how much more payload could be carried, but the orbiter would arrive into space without any wings
  
  Danny Deger
• #786 by SpaceNutz SA on 09 Aug, 2007 19:34

• Quote

  Danny Dot - 9/8/2007 9:20 PM

  Quote

  SpaceNutz SA - 9/8/2007 2:16 PM How would the shuttle perform if it did not do the normal throttle-down-throttle-up through Max Q (ie: went through it at full taps)?

  I am not sure how much more payload could be carried, but the orbiter would arrive into space without any wings Danny Deger

  Thanks Danny.  I recall someone posted a graph of the velocity, dynamic pressure and altitude vs time some time back but I can't seem to find it.  Anyone have the link to this graph?  Thanks

   

• #787 by Lee Jay on 09 Aug, 2007 20:52
• Regarding the Challenger accident, something has always bothered me.
  
  That morning, I was watching preparations on TV before school.  Just before I left, they announced that the flight had been canceled due to weather and they were about to begin detanking.  I grabbed my bag and went to school.  A few hours later I heard about the accident and couldn't understand how the thing could have "exploded" (the term that was used at the time) when it had no fuel.  A few minutes later I found out it was in flight when it was destroyed and was even more perplexed.
  
  Does anyone remember a mistaken announcement or a release by NASA that could have been mistaken by TV news as a cancellation?  I remember very specifically the cancellation call and I wasn't that young (16 - 10th grade) so I don't think it was me.
• #788 by bernse on 09 Aug, 2007 22:35
• I clearly remember them talking about scrubbing it that morning, and the TV interviewed "experts" I saw said they almost certainly would, but I don't recall NASA actually saying they were scrubbing it.
  
  Grade 8 Science Class. I remember the news vividly. We were watching some taped broadcast about Voyager @ Uranus and at the tail end they had a news blurb about the Shuttle launch. The teacher kept that recorded news blurb about the shuttle on, and immediately afterward, he said "I left that part on as I just heard on the news that it reportedly exploded just after launch."
• #789 by SpaceNutz SA on 10 Aug, 2007 13:32
• What is the chain of command while the STS crew is onboard the ISS?  I guess the ISS commander assumes overall command.   Where does the STS commander fit in the command chain once on board?
• #790 by Jim on 10 Aug, 2007 16:13
• ISS commander is responsible for the ISS and the shuttle for the shuttle and his crew.
  
  There doesn't need to be more detail.
• #791 by Lee Jay on 10 Aug, 2007 16:42
• Orbital mechanics question.  If the Shuttle were to stay 600 feet inside the station orbit on the r-bar, how much delta-V would be required each orbit?
• #792 by USFJoseph on 11 Aug, 2007 11:57
• A question based upon the sneakernet discussion in the FD04 execute package.  Is there not a shared network between the shuttle and ISS?  They share common power now, etc... but I find it difficult to think that there is network link between the two?
  
  For those who have not read FD04 Execute Package:
  

  Quote

  MSG 026 (15-0902) - EXECUTE PACKAGE SNEAKERNET FROM ISS SSCS
  Page 1 of 1
  
  The following procedure should be followed on MCC “Go” to perform a sneakernet transfer
  of execute package messages from the ISS SSCs to the Shuttle PGSCs. During the
  docked timeframe, the Shuttle Ku coverage is very limited in the hours before crew wakeup
  due to ISS blockage. The Shuttle OCA OFFICER will uplink the Shuttle execute package to
  a Shuttle PCMCIA card (inserted into an ISS SSC) and you (shuttle crew) will move the
  PCMCIA card to a Shuttle PGSC in the morning and run a batch file to copy the execute
  package files to their standard location on the KFX PGSC.
  
  Prior to Sleep,
  1. Insert a Shuttle "Late Update" PCMCIA card into an ISS SSC (SSC 4 or 6 should
  be fine, but coordinate with the ISS crew).
  2. Verify that KFX is running on that SSC.
  3. Inform the MCC which SSC was used.
  
  During sleep,
  The MCC will uplink the execute package files to the PCMCIA card in the SSC
  
  At Wakeup,
  1. Remove the "Late Update" PCMCIA card from the SSC in the ISS
  2. Insert the "Late Update" PCMCIA card into the KFX PGSC in the Shuttle
  3. On the KFX PGSC Desktop, double click the "DistributeShuttleUplink.bat" icon.
  This will copy all of the files from the PCMCIA card to the correct folders on the
  KFX PGSC.
  4. On the KFX Desktop, double click the "Ex Pkg # 2" shortcut to initiate the printing
  of the messages.
• #793 by Jim on 11 Aug, 2007 12:17
• The shuttle only has laptops.  It's maincomputers are to archaic to be networked.
  
  Shared power was major mod.
• #794 by C5C6 on 11 Aug, 2007 14:38
• I'm watching EVA1 preparations and there are two astronauts wearing the spacesuits and other two helping them......the camp-out is done by those four or only by the 'spacewalkers'???
• #795 by LSainsbury on 11 Aug, 2007 15:10
• I know I shouldn't ask this, but does anybody here have a copy of "space shuttle operator's handbook" preferably as a PDF?
• #796 by Launch Fan on 11 Aug, 2007 15:28
• There's a large, very large, number of handbooks for Shuttle on L2, evening "bibles" for SRBs and SSMEs. Click http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/search/tag.asp and click handbooks (I see you are in L2).
• #797 by j2_ on 11 Aug, 2007 15:32
• Quote

  C5C6 - 11/8/2007  7:38 AM
  
  I'm watching EVA1 preparations and there are two astronauts wearing the spacesuits and other two helping them......the camp-out is done by those four or only by the 'spacewalkers'???

  
  Only the spacewalkers participate in the camp-out.
• #798 by Thorny on 11 Aug, 2007 15:51
• Quote

  Lee Jay - 9/8/2007  3:52 PM
  
  Does anyone remember a mistaken announcement or a release by NASA that could have been mistaken by TV news as a cancellation?  I remember very specifically the cancellation call and I wasn't that young (16 - 10th grade) so I don't think it was me.

  
  It was delayed all morning by the cold temperature, but there was no scrub call. One of the talking heads on Morning TV must have misinterpreted a comment about extended holds due to weather for a scrub of the launch.
  
  
  
• #799 by erioladastra on 12 Aug, 2007 01:05
• "Is there not a shared network between the shuttle and ISS? "
  
  As someone already noted, the orbiter only has laptops and ancient GPCs.  Only minimal caution and warning data is exchanged and some other commands and telemetry but no real network between the ISS and orbiter laptops.  So if they want to exchange info it is sneakernet.