View Full Version : Space Shuttle
Daleaholic
09-08-2005, 23:06
I feel that the Space shuttle is getting too outdated and I have little faith in it lasting until 2010 and this year alone they want to do 17 more space missions!. I was lucky enough to see the Shuttle go up on my holiday to Florida but when you look at everything they have had to do just to be safe for coming back to earth, it makes me wonder why astronauts haven't just refused to go. But I must say well done to the crew of Discovery for getting back into space. Please give your views on the space program and the Shuttle.
Oblivion
09-08-2005, 23:23
Yeah its worrying when NASA call a mission a success as long as they get it back in one piece. I think that last mission was close to disaster at many points.
Although credit where credit is due, they did handle all the problems well and the astronauts that took part were a credit to the US space program.
The Chinese space program looks impressive, maybe they will be giving NASA a run for their money in 2010?
...and this year alone they want to do 17 more space missions!.
They want to fly another one mission this year.
They need to make another 15-28 missions to complete the space station (optimistically).
As far as I can see it's not the shuttle that's the problem it's the booster rocket insulation.
Oblivion
10-08-2005, 01:31
"The growing consensus, however, is that personnel walking on the craft during preparations may have accidentally dented the external fuel tank, leading to the dislodged foam. In other words, NASA is beginning to think that is was not a problem with tank design." (Time Magazine)
Isn't the shuttle design over 20-30 years old, or so i heard on the news today? Technology has advanced a hell of a lot since then... the design does need to be revised.
kessellrun
10-08-2005, 02:32
The design of the shuttle may be 20-30 years old but you can't deny it's brilliance!
Look at Concorde! It was 40 odd years old and the only reason it got grounded was because of some french **** giving it "hehaw hehaw, le condorde es en impossible!!" due to some lazy ass french c**t not sweeping up the debris on a runway in paris!
I HATE THE FRENCH!!!!!!!! :mad:
Then to top it all, an AirFrance airliner crashes on a Canadian runway!
So, in essence, shuttle=good, french=bad.
The end.
:)
Oblivion
10-08-2005, 02:42
LOL, nice post.... Its good to see your not afraid of expressing your opinion! Dont get me started on the French though!
I think the future of space travel will all come down to money and if they do need to re design anything it will boil down to whether they can secure enough money from congress to do it. This also includes the launchings of future missions into space.
I'm not sure if you can argue the design of the current shuttle as the best possible design seeing as 2 of them have Exploded in the past. No a great track record. But NASA are the pioneers in this field and of course space travel is still in its infancy.
PJ Matthews
10-08-2005, 11:28
I have to agree with some of the above. In aviation terms 20-30 years of age isn't that much at all. You must understand that although on the outside it looks the same, inside its pretty much a new Shuttle after each refit with updated navigation, flight systems etc.
Infact some of the most successful airframes of all time are still flying today. The B-52 is one such fine example having flown for 50 years with atleast another 15 to go. The U2 is another such example simply because despite the U.S governments programs to replace them, those aircraft have actually outlasted their replacements!
Back home you just have to look at aircraft like the Jaguar (over 30 years old) and the Torndao (about 20 years old). Both aircraft are being replaced (Jaguar by the JSF) and the Tornado (Eurofighter, JSF and a hell of alot of UAVs!).
You must also remember that the problems seen now have always been there. Just like with Concorde, it just wasn't a problem until the accident happened and the chances of it happening again are tiny but with something so high profile you can't take that risk. The Shuttle will be around probably longer than 2010 as its successor hasn't even been agreed upon yet meaning we won't likely see an operational replacement until 2020 or there abouts. There were a number of programs abandoned because of cost which have cost billions due to the stop start nature of congress first approving then killing off such programs.
The only problem that I can see is with the end of the Shuttle we be seeing the end of the dramatic take offs as the next aircraft will most likely fly into space itself after a conventional take off.
Well i was hoping that the shuttle suddenly went wrong on its way to usa, because i dont live that far from a emrgancy landing point for the shuttle i would of liked to see that land!. Hehe
PJ Matthews
10-08-2005, 14:10
To be honest it would never likely land in the UK, Spain would be a more suitable place when passing over this region.
hmm well it could happen hope it will. we got the air base to land it on. so i hope some point it will have to!
hmm well it could happen hope it will. we got the air base to land it on. so i hope some point it will have to!
The shuttle needs one heck of a long runway. I'm not sure if any of the military bases in Europe are long enough. I know Filton Airfield used to be the longest runway in Europe.
In any case, if they are bringing the shuttle down here, then that means something pretty serious has happened and they need to get it down fast, something which I really don't want to see.
Cheers,
Stephen
[GPO]Solitaire
11-08-2005, 00:13
there are many AirStrips around the world that can handle the Shuttle.
here is a map to all those sites
http://space.balettie.com/LandingSiteInfo/
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/sts-els.htm
By the way, anyone read "Enounter with Tiber" by Buzz Aldrin? It's got a very good decription of a failed take off of a Shuttle flight. Lots of technical stuff :)
F A B Scott
11-08-2005, 00:45
At one stage they were reduced to looking on ebay for spare parts for the computering stuff, a few years ago. They're slightly better funded nowadays or so I've heard.
True, according to this article (http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2002may/gee20020514011664.htm)
The shuttle needs one heck of a long runway. I'm not sure if any of the military bases in Europe are long enough. I know Filton Airfield used to be the longest runway in Europe.
In any case, if they are bringing the shuttle down here, then that means something pretty serious has happened and they need to get it down fast, something which I really don't want to see.
Cheers,
Stephen
Hmm yes RAF Fairford has the biggest runway in europe thats the Base im talking about. hosts RIAT witch is amazing every year always a near accident:)
At one stage they were reduced to looking on ebay for spare parts for the computering stuff, a few years ago. They're slightly better funded nowadays or so I've heard.
True, according to this article (http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2002may/gee20020514011664.htm)
If I remember correctly there is a technical reason for using the seemingly outdated parts.
All modern semiconductors are built using such a small circuit size, that there are VERY susceptible to cosmic radiation, because the circuits of the old 8086 & 8088 components have, comparatively, large circuits they are much, much less likely to be burned out, and therefore require much less radiation shielding.
Besides which, would you want to be flown into space in a vehicle controlled by a Pentium4 that still has the FDIV bug from the 80386 :D
Smiffy
PJ Matthews
14-08-2005, 20:39
Yeah and when Fairfords runway was re-laid a couple years back it actually got longer.
F A B Scott
14-08-2005, 21:09
If I remember correctly there is a technical reason for using the seemingly outdated parts.
Besides which, would you want to be flown into space in a vehicle controlled by a Pentium4 that still has the FDIV bug from the 80386 :D
Good point. Mind you, I wouldn't fancy being flown into space by a Shuttle with parts got from ebay either. [just the thought would worry me....though the parts would likely be ok I expect] ;)
PJ Matthews
15-08-2005, 07:51
I don't know, I'd ask to see the sellers feedback before being blasted into space I guess :p
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