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Interesting Fact - Why Atlantis will fly with a 4-person crew

guyver01

guyver01

Lifer
749px-STS-135_Official_Crew_Photo.jpg


Atlantis was originally a "rescue mission" for STS-134

Atlantis will carry the STS-335 four-person crew (the smallest of any shuttle mission since April 1983's STS-6).

Only four astronauts are assigned to the mission, versus the normal six or seven, because there no longer are any space shuttles on standby for a potential rescue.

In the event of serious damage to the shuttle in orbit, the four would move into the International Space Station and return, one at a time over the course of a year, via Russian Soyuz capsules.
 
DaveSimmons said:
It's sad that we don't have a shuttle replacement and won't for the foreseeable future.
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I'd vote for something like Spaceship One - use a jet aircraft to get the space vehicle fairly high up, then use rockets to do the rest. More efficient. 🙂
 
qliveur said:
Too bad they didn't have a rescue mission on standby for Columbia..
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probably wouldn't have helped.

Ultimately the NASA Mission Management Team felt there was insufficient evidence to indicate that the strike was an unsafe situation, so they declared the debris strike a "turnaround" issue (not of highest importance)
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Doubt they woulda launched a Rescue Mission for something they didn't consider critical.
 
Jeff7 said:
I'd vote for something like Spaceship One - use a jet aircraft to get the space vehicle fairly high up, then use rockets to do the rest. More efficient. 🙂
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Would be nice, but spaceship one can't reach anything close to orbit. Orbital's pegasus launch vehicle works in a similar way and can reach orbit but can only carry about 1,000 pounds. Far too little to launch a person. While not impossible, they'd need to 'supersize' the concept to a point that would make it much harder. An aircraft that can carry and release a rocket large enough to toss a multi-person vehicle into orbit doesn't really exist right now. Even for spaceship one which can't hit orbit they had to come up with a whole new carrier aircraft.
 
guyver01 said:
probably wouldn't have helped.



Doubt they woulda launched a Rescue Mission for something they didn't consider critical.
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They didn't bother to try to find out, either. The DoD even offered the use of their spy satellites to ascertain the damage and NASA declined.

Morons.
 
The crowds will be huge as this is the last launch, I was lucky to get on base for the 2nd one, just a few miles away, the intensity of the ground shaking and the incredible rumbling are something I'll never forget..
 
Bignate603 said:
Would be nice, but spaceship one can't reach anything close to orbit. Orbital's pegasus launch vehicle works in a similar way and can reach orbit but can only carry about 1,000 pounds. Far too little to launch a person. While not impossible, they'd need to 'supersize' the concept to a point that would make it much harder. An aircraft that can carry and release a rocket large enough to toss a multi-person vehicle into orbit doesn't really exist right now. Even for spaceship one which can't hit orbit they had to come up with a whole new carrier aircraft.
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And Spaceship One's funding level is probably what NASA spends on fuel to move the shuttle to the launchpad. 😉

A lot of Velcro and maybe some zip ties, plus an Airbus A380, and you've got yourself a new launching platform. 😀
 
Sorry to get P&N on your thread, but I hope Obama's 2012 opponent points out his desire to kill America's man-spaced program in favor of more monies for crack-hos and other welfare recipients. After all, what will inspire young Americans more? Crack-ho mamas or walking on the moon again?

Can't wait to see that Chinese flag being waved on the lunar surface next time.
 
Ah well this is the NASA the US gets when POTUS tells NASA director that a "foremost" mission of his is to make Muslims "feel good" about their contributions to math and science. America really jumped the shark in 2008. All the shuttles aren't worn either:

“It’s sad. There’s a lot more left in them. The airframes are certified for 100 flights. This one had 39 flights,” said senior mechanical technician Bill Powers, 58, who works for United Space Alliance, the primary contractor for the shuttle. USA already has laid off thousands of shuttle workers across the country. On July 22, the contractor will lay off about 1,900 more people here in Florida.

“It’s not wore-out. It’s just broke-in,” said Tim Keyser, lead mechanic for the orbiters. “It could fly another 20 years. We get into the guts of this thing, it’s pristine.”

Final NASA shuttle mission clouded by rancor



http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ra-what-next/2011/06/29/AGeBAWtH_story_1.html
 
finglobes said:
Ah well this is the NASA the US gets when POTUS tells NASA director that a "foremost" mission of his is to make Muslims "feel good" about their contributions to math and science. America really jumped the shark in 2008. All the shuttles aren't worn either:

“It’s sad. There’s a lot more left in them. The airframes are certified for 100 flights. This one had 39 flights,” said senior mechanical technician Bill Powers, 58, who works for United Space Alliance, the primary contractor for the shuttle. USA already has laid off thousands of shuttle workers across the country. On July 22, the contractor will lay off about 1,900 more people here in Florida.

“It’s not wore-out. It’s just broke-in,” said Tim Keyser, lead mechanic for the orbiters. “It could fly another 20 years. We get into the guts of this thing, it’s pristine.”

Final NASA shuttle mission clouded by rancor



http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ra-what-next/2011/06/29/AGeBAWtH_story_1.html
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Rancors are not to be taken lightly:

Rancor.jpg
 
GTaudiophile said:
Sorry to get P&N on your thread, but I hope Obama's 2012 opponent points out his desire to kill America's man-spaced program in favor of more monies for crack-hos and other welfare recipients. After all, what will inspire young Americans more? Crack-ho mamas or walking on the moon again?

Can't wait to see that Chinese flag being waved on the lunar surface next time.
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At least learn the facts before spewing P+N crap all over the place, plans to scrap the shuttle were put in place by the Bush administration 2004 (Vision for Space Exploration) but the shuttles successor is not ready yet. Really the future of space exploration should belong to robots, you could send one to mars and back much, much cheaper than a manned flight, not having to build and maintain life support for 18 months would simplify things a lot. While manned flight did and does inspire young Americans at 1.3 billion a flight (shuttle) it's kinda pricey..
 
jupiter57 said:
Wow!
16 posts and Neckbeard hasn't trolled it yet!
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because, unlike all the other threads he posts in with no knowledge, UK doesn't have a functional space program, so he can't even come in here pretending to know anything.

what's he gonna do? come in and go "UK Space Shuttle is better... oh ... wait... nevermind."
 
guyver01 said:
because, unlike all the other threads he posts in with no knowledge, UK doesn't have a functional space program, so he can't even come in here pretending to know anything.

what's he gonna do? come in and go "UK Space Shuttle is better... oh ... wait... nevermind."
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I'm sure he'll think of something.
 
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