Atlantis return put off amid worry over safe re-entry

NormDroid

El Corazon wrote:

It may mean that they land at Edwards, or White Sands Space Harbor, I haven't checked on the status of Edward's landing strip lately to know if there even is a choice. The primary reason for a change in return destination is the worst-case scenario, if there is a break up, they want it over the pacific. They cannot "wing it" on a glide-path from the west coast to the east coast. Entering atmosphere over New Mexico/Texas border means a similar break-up over highly populated Texas if the worst should happen.

Jeez, you have been researching:omg:

.net is a box of never ending treasures, every day I get find another gem.

Sathesh Sakthivel

Absolutely Jay. We have to Pray for all.

Regards, Satips.:rose:

El Corazon

norm .net wrote:

Jeez, you have been researching

No, close to the subject. I was requested to do some of the modelling of the break-up of the last shuttle. My phone hasn't rung yet, though the news I just checked on is more optimistic than Satips. The tear is going to be repaired. There is concern, though not as much as before. They do carry some tiles for refitting in space (now), which is not easy since most of the tiles are unique in size and shape. They are drawing up plans, which NASA does nothing without double and triple checking for "best" solution. In the case of the last shuttle disaster, there was no choice, no emergency plans, nothing that could assist in time, the "best" plan was the only plan: return. Now there are additional choices, they are, as NASA is fond of putting, "Working the problem."

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

El Corazon

CleaKO wrote:

why I am of Scottish/German/English/Native American origin

Hienze 57 here.... I have a little of everything, including several tribes, though I am the only one in my family who doesn't find the presence of Native American ancestry an issue.

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

Gary Kirkham

Wouldn't all the rest benefit from Sunitha's safe return?

Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Me blog, You read

El Corazon

Mission STS-117: Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer Clayton C. Anderson, mission specialists James Reilly II, Steven Swanson, Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialists Patrick Forrester and John D. Olivas. Frederick Sturckow, a Marine colonel, will command STS-117. The mission will deliver the second and third starboard truss segments (S3/S4) and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. Pilot Lee Archambault, an Air Force colonel, joins Sturckow in the Shuttle’s cockpit. Mission specialists James Reilly II, Ph.D., Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, Ph.D., and John D. Olivas, Ph.D., round out the crew. STS-117 is the 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station. Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Sunita L. Williams will return to Earth from the space station aboard shuttle mission STS-117. That flight will carry Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer Clayton C. Anderson to the station. He will return home aboard Discovery on mission STS-120.

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

El Corazon

Gary Kirkham wrote:

Wouldn't all the rest benefit from Sunitha's safe return?

depends... theoretically, she could stay behind on the space station and wait for other transport, that means everyone else takes the risk instead of her.

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

Gary Kirkham

As could they all.

Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Me blog, You read

El Corazon

Sebastian Schneider wrote:

She will most definitely not be the only one onboard the shuttle. AFAIR, she is not qualified to land the shuttle.

Correct. The shuttle is a seven man crew. One of the crew will remain on the space station, she will return. The other six will be the same crew as launched. Seven up, Seven down, unless they kick in an emergency plan, though the latter is extremely unlikely.

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

peterchen

Satips, it is considered impolite in many societies to show such a preference when it is a matter of life and death. You sound like "I don't care about the others, it's only importnat that MY friends come back". Also having lost one good man :rose: doesn't change things, it's like saying "now it's your turn to die". I guess you wouldn't like it when most people on this planet say "I don't care about Sunitha, as long as the others make it back safe". Do not forget that space travel is a joint effort. In space, we are from Earth, not from a country. (at least, that's the idea) btw. showing a small preference ("praying for Sunitha and all other members of the crew") is usually ok.

We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
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El Corazon

Gary Kirkham wrote:

As could they all.

No, not likely. The space station is designed, as current materials, space, and oxygen allows for a standard 3-man crew. A fourth could stay, with a stretch. but for full evac, only the pilot and co-pilot returning, or heaven forbid an orbital ditch and all the crew 7+3 staying on board the space station would so overburden the current filtering and oxygen system as to need immediate international assistance for the USA. Given current feelings around the globe, the USA wouldn't risk it. Plus, since abandoning the shuttle for a lifeboat of the ISS, they would need international cooperation in just the decision to go life-boat ISS. Such a decision endangers not only the crew of the shuttle, but the remaining members of the ISS. Three or maybe four is a reasonably safe bet, eight on the ISS is dangerous, and ten would be nearly unthinkable. Oxygen consumption at three times normal rate, as well as CO2 filtering at three times normal rate. The ISS life-boat would be in danger the second the shuttle is dropped. ISS as a lifeboat **is** a plan that was considered, but so convoluted in international cooperation for it to work it was never fully followed through. It would be so caught up in red tape, the crew could easily be dead of CO2 poisoning long before an international decision could be made.

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

El Corazon

well said all around.

_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

Lost User

Watch "The Great White Hype" starring Samuel L. Jackson where they have this idea of a white boxer. He is advertisied as irish so people who haven't seen him will know he is white :doh:

The tigress is here :-D

Lost User

5! She's american anyway ;P

The tigress is here :-D

peterchen

John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

and unless I see her naked (and she has exceptional qualities),

You can figure these things out by looking? :omg:

We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
My first real C# project | Linkify!|FoldWithUs! | sighist

John M Drescher

I really can not believe they still have not fixed this problem considering the fact that most (if not all) of the launches since the disaster have damaged the heat shield.

John

Dan Neely

Almost every launch prior to the columbia disaster suffered some damage as well. The heatshield is a material with a consistency similar to Styrofoam, at 20,000 mph collision with any sort of dust will cause some degree of damage. The specific problem source that inflicted fatal damage on the Columbia (a pipe for the external fuel tank) did have its spray on insulation replaced with an electric blanket. They've developed an inspection routine and methods to repair the smaller sorts of damage that are most likely but that's all that is possible to do.

-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer

Member 96

There truly are no "native" americans or Canadians for that matter. They emigrated just like the rest only much earlier.

"110%" - it's the new 70%

Member 96

:) You got my five. In fact the flying spaghetti monster watches over my Subaru on a daily basis.

"110%" - it's the new 70%

Member 96

http://www.venganza.org/[^]

"110%" - it's the new 70%