STS-133

[Moonwalker]

Nah, I don't buy that. They only can still only speculate. Once they found that 20ft crack it was a given that the launch wasn't going to happen this year, but it was impossible to forecast that a few months ago, so no, ex-NASA or not, they cannot have known that that would have happened.

I did not say that anybody did know what would happen. Of course nobody did I was talking about what Wayne Hale has to say about NASA i.e. costs and delays generally, caused by an awful amount of paper/requirements (as with any good bureaucracy).

That's just my personal opinion: if we take the amazing technology and achievements of STS aside for a second, the program is a pain in the a**. I know that those who work on it do a lot of hard work, but still, the program is inefficient in relation to costs and time and how the whole thing was initially planned in the 1970's. As much as I love the technology and watching the missions, I can not wait until NASA or somebody else does something more reasonably on a more regular basis (and with way more science as well).

[Admin]

Nah, I don't buy that. They only can still only speculate. Once they found that 20ft crack it was a given that the launch wasn't going to happen this year, but it was impossible to forecast that a few months ago, so no, ex-NASA or not, they cannot have known that that would have happened.

I did not say that anybody did know what would happen. Of course nobody did I was talking about what Wayne Hale has to say about NASA i.e. costs and delays generally, caused by an awful amount of paper/requirements (as with any good bureaucracy).

That's just my personal opinion: if we take the amazing technology and achievements of STS aside for a second, the program is a pain in the a**. I know that those who work on it do a lot of hard work, but still, the program is inefficient in relation to costs and time and how the whole thing was initially planned in the 1970's. As much as I love the technology and watching the missions, I can not wait until NASA or somebody else does something more reasonably on a more regular basis (and with way more science as well).

Ah, yes.

Wayne Hale has a lot to say. I like the guy.

/Admin

[Moonwalker]

Wayne Hale has a lot to say. I like the guy.

Well, he certainly knows something about NASA. Especially about its bureaucracy, since he was not just a NASA engineer, but also Flight Director for 41 Space Shuttle missions and Space Shuttle Program Manager

It is not really uncommon that former NASA people, as soon as they leave the office, say things they better should not have said whilst still holding a chair. On the other side, what he and a lot of others say is not really something new. It's actually known like other things as well. For example, if there are news that NASA can not find the original Apollo 11 footage material, it might be surprising to some readers and conspiracy theorists(/terrorists), but this is actually not surprising at all because it's known that the way NASA handles its archives is quite deficient and in great need of improvement (there is no central archive; stuff is spread in different locations and those who archived the Apollo material are mostly either retired or dead already).

[Admin]

To continue your line of thought:

http://www.switched.com/2010/12/08/nasa-accidentally-sells-off-computers-with-sensitive-data/

/Admin

[Moonwalker]

NASALeaks

Maybe I should start thinking to buy an old NASA computer

But what makes me more sad is how they handle their old relicts like used Apollo capsules/hardware. They already sold (and lost) so much of it, that a few capsules interior look like an old car from a scrapyard (missing switches, panels, torn out cables etc.). Especially the Apollo capsules used for the Skylab missions. So it's not hard to guess how the Shuttles might look in future once people will be able to visit them and take a look while discovering fake (and partly even wrong) panels parts in it etc...

One can buy original Apollo hardware (including flown ones) online these days. I think that's not the way how to handle such historic stuff

PS: but maybe NASA is in a going-out-of-business sale

[psowen]

PS: but maybe NASA is in a going-out-of-business sale   


I don't find that a bit humorous.

[Steven]

Tanking test is now NET Friday due to cold weather at the pad.  They will roll the vehicle back to the VAB 4 to 5 days after the tanking test to do scans on the back of the tank, the areas they can't access while at the pad.

It's all detailed in Chris Bergin's great article:  http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/12/sts-133-tanking-test-plan-outlined-rollback-additional-inspections/

[Moonwalker]

Inspections reveal four more cracks on Discovery's tank:

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/101230cracks/

[Admin]

Inspections reveal four more cracks on Discovery's tank:

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/101230cracks/

Which proves that you do not recklessly and irresponsibly cut funds that have a direct impact on missions, until the program is over. Not having a spare ET is irresponsible.

If, god forbid, there will be a disaster during one of the last mission, it will be clear who should take personal responsibility and go home.

I do hope that there are a few people with frozen balls and sleepless nights out there, pondering at all the wrong decisions they took ever since they took office.

/Admin

[Moonwalker]

Yes. Not having another external tank available indeed is quite a bad decision, especially right now. Imagine they would find another cracks, which I think seems likely now and which is rather curious.

If I would be assigend to launch with STS-133, I would not be just 100% confident like they always tell in interviews. At least there would be a little something in the back part of my head during ignition and launch (riding the Shuttle actually means riding a hydrogen bomb ). Especially at "go at throttle up", which remained a critical moment even until today at which everybody inside and outside the Shuttle still has Challenger in mind. You can hear this quite often in interviews. Barbara Morgan was talking about it not just too long ago. But no miracle, since he witnessed it live at the cape back then.

[Pocci]

Which proves that you do not recklessly and irresponsibly cut funds that have a direct impact on missions, until the program is over. Not having a spare ET is irresponsible.

If, god forbid, there will be a disaster during one of the last mission, it will be clear who should take personal responsibility and go home.

Should there really be a disaster taking away the life of astronauts or other people, this person should take the honorable old Japanese way of committing suicide.

But before risking a disaster the actual tank should be probably considered not air worthy even if this means scrubbing one of the last missions totally. And in this case there should be definitely someone or someseveral going home.

/Armin

[Admin]

Which proves that you do not recklessly and irresponsibly cut funds that have a direct impact on missions, until the program is over. Not having a spare ET is irresponsible.

If, god forbid, there will be a disaster during one of the last mission, it will be clear who should take personal responsibility and go home.

Should there really be a disaster taking away the life of astronauts or other people, this person should take the honorable old Japanese way of committing suicide.

But before risking a disaster the actual tank should be probably considered not air worthy even if this means scrubbing one of the last missions totally. And in this case there should be definitely someone or someseveral going home.

/Armin

I actually have a very good idea which single person should thake responsibility and go home

/Admin

[Moonwalker]

Somehow I feel like having a déjà vu of some sort concerning decisions and management...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOpq_IYjZ_g&feature=related

[Moonwalker]

There are many sceptical voices across the web already. And honestly, I also have quite a bad feeling. At the moment of ET separation I will be more than just glad. Did they find all cracks? What if there are another cracks? The External Tank absorbs the tremendous vibrations from both SRB's. Imagine if cracks are causing a part of the ET structure to fail, which I think is more likely than unlikely. Would be interesting to know what the Lockheed Martin guys in Michoud are thinking about it...

[christra]

There are many sceptical voices across the web already. And honestly, I also have quite a bad feeling. At the moment of ET separation I will be more than just glad. Did they find all cracks? What if there are another cracks? The External Tank absorbs the tremendous vibrations from both SRB's. Imagine if cracks are causing a part of the ET structure to fail, which I think is more likely than unlikely. Would be interesting to know what the Lockheed Martin guys in Michoud are thinking about it...

The only cracks that have been found so far are in the stringer area (intertank). These cracks could lead to foam liberation. If foam is liberated at certain section of the ET it could hit the shuttle during ascent. That is the only fear.
None of the engineers ever questioned the structural integrity of the tank in all. In fact they consider it -based on the gathered strain gage data from the last tanking test- even stronger than needed.
I think it is not helpful to stoke fears about a possibly failing ET stucture due to any cracks. The cracks are located at the upper end of the stringers only and they put doublers on it now. No astronaut would enter the shuttle for lift off if he would have any doubts about the repaired ET.

We should not support any rumours of people that are eager to spread their (often unprofessional) view or fears through the internet.

This is all I have to say.