STS-126

Yes!  Well I don’t think you can get tickets to this particular launch but there is viewing all up and down the Indian River.  Even though I’ve never SEEN one go up I can assure you that if you’re anywhere in the area; you’ll know one is going up.  This launch will be shortly after nightfall and those are particularly dazzling.  I like day launches as you can see the vehicle a lot better but any successful launch is a good one.

That’s right, one week from today! W00t! I love launch day preparation.

Saving the Space Shuttles

Read my blog for a few minutes and you’ll quickly realize I’m a science nut. Particularly a space nut. Even MORE specifically space exploration. Now I wanted to make a post about this because of how strongly I feel on it.

In case you didn’t know, the Shuttle fleet is set to be retired in 2010.  That’s less than 1 1/2 years away!  That was the mandate set forth.  I want to say they had planned to have a new operational vehicle by 2012.  That is not going to happen.  In fact it will be 2015 before the new system is ready.  That’s FIVE YEARS with no American manned space flights.  The United States has ponied a lot of money for the ISS (International Space Station).  How does that make sense?  Go ask Russia to take us?  Sure, for 2 billion dollars, comrade!

No, not good at all.  Whomever the next President is, will have a huge say in this.  Both candidates seemed to have expressed the concerns I’ve stated.  If this program gets ditched, and we’re begging the Russians for rides; I’m going to be one pissed mofo.

But with that said, I’m just glad people are realizing it and I will agree with Jim Lovell who said.  Keep flying them if they work? Duh?

What can you do in 10 seconds?

Some time ago I came across a video that mesmerizes me even now.  I had this thing up on my MySpace page for a long time but I think it deserves a more permanent home here.  I’m going to copy/paste the information from YouTube and not take credit for writing it up at all.  The thing to remember is that all of this happens from T-10 seconds to T-0.  Just 10 seconds. (The sparklers start at T-10 by the way)

Closeup, slow motion of SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) startup (no audio).

Several things to note (if you care):

* The “sparks” are igniters meant to burn off excess hydrogen gas during engine start but before mainstage (full power) operation. Without these, a large cloud of explosive hydrogen and air could form under the Shuttle. If it exploded, it could damage the Shuttle structure or knock off tiles. These sparks DO NOT “ignite” the rocket engines. Engine ignition is accomplished by an internal “blowtorch” of fuel and oxidizer in each engine, which is ignited with sparkplugs!

* Notice that the engines start in a sequence which is about 120 milliseconds (a touch more than 1/10 second) apart. They do not start at the exact same time.

* At engine start, the engines are moved (gimballed) away from each other because they jump around during start. If they were too close, they might collide.

* The engine steering hardware is hydraulically “disconnected” from the engines during start so that the engines can bounce around without breaking the “steering linkages”.

* During engine start, before full power is reached, the exhaust (flames) disconnect or separate from the nozzle interior, causing violent thrust vector movements and misalignments. This is what makes the engines jump and wobble during startup.

* After the engines are fully started and running, the hydraulic steering is re enabled and the engines are steered toward proper liftoff angles.

* Once the engines are started, the Space Shuttle tips forward several feet, then springs back. When it is sprung back to true vertical (and if the 3 engines are OK), the two large solid rockets are started, hold down nuts are blown off with explosives and it’s LIFTOFF!

* For comparison, all THREE Space Shuttle Main Engines (not counting the two large, tall tubular solid rockets) generate about as much thrust as only ONE first stage moon rocket engine (the F1) did.

* The propellants for the Space Shuttle Main Engines are all contained in the big central “external tank”. Oxygen on the top 1/4 and hydrogen on the bottom 3/4. The fuel (hydrogen) is so cold it would freeze AIR into a solid “ice” which means fuel lines must be free of all air (they are purged with helium).

God Bless NASA and our Astronauts, for they are doing difficult and potentially dangerous work in order that their research and findings may make all of our lives better through new and improved technology.

Think about that if you feel NASA gets “too much money”.

The budget for NASA is 0.7% of the entire Federal Budget.  That’s 70 cents for every 100 dollars.

Hubble Servicing Mission

Does anyone remember when Hubble was launched?  Remember how we all waited to see those brilliant images come down?  As they started to beam down to earth we all looked at each other thinking “that’s good, right?”  Those in the know immediately knew it wasn’t right.  Hubble was near-sighted.  The most expensive telescope ever built didn’t work.

Two years later a daring plan was set into motion to fix hubble.  Essentially it would be given glasses and other hardware would be upgraded as well (solar panels, gyros, etc).   Astronauts worked feverishly on Hubble until all the repairs were made.  Would they work?  Could NASA redeem itself?

The answer is a resounding “yes”.  Not only redemption but triumph.  As the new images came in, it was clear the mission was a success and our view on the Universe would never be the same again.  Chances are that you’ve seen a photo taken by Hubble.  To be more clear, if you’ve seen a picture of space in the last 15 years, it’s a good chance Hubble took it.  Sure there are scopes that are larger and gather more light but Hubble has the advantage.  It doesn’t put up with atmosphere.  No rainy days, cloudy days and it’s always night time in space.  Well to a degree it is.

NASA has serviced the Hubble a couple of times since that first servicing.  Upgrades to equipment, new cameras, better cameras and more sensitive instruments to bolster it’s scientific contribution even more.

Later this year NASA will service the Hubble one final time.  The telescope has been a workhorse for so many years and taken some of the most stunning images of the Cosmos known to man.  I’d love to be there to see the shuttle go up.  Might still happen but I won’t set my heart on it.

http://hubblesite.org/gallery/

Super week

To kick it off (pun!) the Giants won the superbowl which is great because I love underdogs.  Today not much is going on but tomorrow is Super Tuesday where something on the order or 25 states are holding primaries for the next President.  That’s pretty cool.  And of course, the best thing this week (crosses fingers) is the launch of Atlantis.

When you’re a huge space/science buff you learn to expect delays in launch these incredibly complex machines.  The orbiter, being the most complex, needs extra attention when problems arise.  This case was a faulty fuel sensor in the large orange tank.  While there are multiple redundant systems, they will not launch if they know one is failing.  The purpose is that once in flight, you can have a failure and have backups.  If you launch with a failure and have a failure in flight you might be left with one system and no backup.  Another failure would be a “bad day” as they call it.  If the fuel sensors failed or sent incorrect data for instance, the engines might be shut off prematurely.  That’s a guaranteed bad day.  Another scenario might have the engines no shutting down properly.  The pumps spin at 36,000rpm inside those things.  I hear if they spin without fuel the damage can be catastrophic.  I’ll take their word.

After all the work is done to make these vehicles flight ready, after every screw, strap, bolt, pump, lever, knob, button, system, wire, cable, etc, is checked, there is only one thing left to do; pray.  Pray that all those items you check do not fail.  Once the vehicle is in flight, you can’t pull it over.  There is no pitstop and nothing on this planet can catch up with it short of another orbiter or a few other launch vehicles that take weeks of preparation to make flight ready.

No, space flight is not routine.  It will not be for a long time.  The guys that want tourists in space are visionaries and pioneers but people will die.  I guarantee it.  Everything is a calculated risk and you have money and lives on the line.  I doubt the high rollers in Vegas could stomach the intensity of saying “there is a 5% chance we’ll lose the crew if X happens but it’s better than the initial 7% so it’s within the acceptable limit”.

Godspeed!

[L]