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| 2005/8/3-4 [Science/Space] UID:38963 Activity:kinda low |
8/3 If the Space Shuttle can re-enter atmosphere safely after the two gap
filler are removed, why were the gap fillers installed in the first
place?
\_ If a 747 can fly with 3 engines, why do they install 4?
You over-engineer things like that. (Although it has not been
shown that the shuttle can re-enter without the gap filler). -tom
\_ The purpose of the gap filler may be to protect against vibration on
lift off, hence once they're in orbit they don't matter. But then I
actually have no idea why they're there, and you probably don't
either.
\_ Of course I don't. That's why I'm asking.
\_ Don't forget that the airframe expands and contracts much more
than the tiles. The tiles are attached to the airframe.
Therefore, you need gaps between the tiles. What goes in
between the gaps. Gap filluhs!
\_ We need gaps, then we need gap fillers to eliminate the gaps.
Hmmm ...... :-)
\_ You mean we have a gap-filler gap?
\_ Well, I, uh, don't think it's quite fair to condemn a
whole program because of a single slip-up, sir.
\_ No big deal. Just apply some gap-filler-gap filler.
\_ The Russians have more teenagers w/ poor taste
in clothes??
\_ Some more gap-filler info:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050729_sts114_iss.html
http://www.suntimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket7st/basket7st1122901969.aspx |
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| www.space.com/missionlaunches/050729_sts114_iss.html In this image released by NASA TV, the crew aboard the space shuttle Disc overy and International space station pose for a picture being taken by astronaut Steve Robinson, out of view, in this view from television from the Destiny module of the international space station Thursday, July 28 , 2005. The crew from left to right are Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguch i, front left, astronaut Wendy Lawrence, cosmonuat Sergei Krikalev, pilo t James Kelly, astronaut Andy Thomas, astronaut John Phillips, astronaut s Wendy Lawrence, and Charles Camarda. Discovery's seven astronauts will work with the two-man crew living aboard the ISS for eight days before returning to Earth. Tariq Malik Staff Writer posted: 29 July 2005 08:43 pm ET HOUSTON NASA managers for the International Space Station (ISS) have form ally asked for an extra day of docked operations with the STS-114 astron auts aboard Discovery, shuttle officials said Friday. NASA space shuttle program deputy manager Wayne Hale, who chairs Discover ys Mission Management Team (MMT), said ISS officials requested the one-d ay mission extension to allow more time for transfer of material between the orbiter and the ISS. That material, he said, consists of additional items to the 15 tons of su pplies Discovery ferried to the ISS. The MMT will meet Saturday to discuss adding the extra day, but will like ly opt to go along with the plan. compiling a list of items Discoverys crew could pluck from their orbiter and leave at the ISS as a precaution agai nst an extended delay between Discoverys space station visit and the nex t shuttles arrival. Among the possible items that could be pinned for tr ansfer are laptop computers, unique space tools or extra water produced by Discoverys fuel cells, he added. During the July 26 space shot, an external tank-mounted video camera caug ht a large chunk of foam insulation separated from the tank just over tw o minutes into the flight, but did not impact Discovery. smaller foam pieces that also popped fr ee, one of which may have contacted the orbiter inspections and impact s ensors detected nothing though it would have hit with 1/10 the energy ne eded to pose a hazard, Hale said Thursday. ISS officials are also discussing the possibility of tacking on an additi onal task to the third spacewalk planned for Discoverys crew. STS-114 spacewalkers Soichi Noguchi and Stephen Robinson will make their first venture outside Discovery early Saturday to test new orbiter repai r techniques and replace a space station global position system antenna. That is a potential task to be added, Hale said, adding that engineers ar e hoping to perform a failure analysis on the motor. Mind the gap filler Video and still photography taken of Discoverys belly-mounted heat-resist ant tiles have given shuttle engineers their first look of an establishe d phenomena seen in past shuttle flights. The imagery caught two ceramic gap fillers, typically wedged between tile s that are spaced too far apart, poking about an inch out into space. Wh ile not due to damage, the gap filler images are the first views taken o f the phenomena in orbit. Engineers typically dont find protruding gap f illers until orbiters land back on Earth. This is really kind of exciting data, Hale said, adding that other gap fi ller protrusions are behind Discoverys nose landing gear doors, where su ch protrusions have occurred in the past. There appears to be something going on behind the nose landing gear door that well look at. Protruding gap fillers disrupt the aerodynamic flow around shuttles durin g descent, which can cause higher than normal heating aft of the protrus ion, Hale said. Engineers are discussing whether any measures are needed to address the g ap fillers or other incidents, such as a damaged thermal blanket that wa s found during inspections. All of these things are not serious in the sense that they dont cause ser ious alarm, Hale said. observed it with Disc overys sensor-tipped orbital boom. The damaged area is about three inches wide, 3/4^ths of an inch long and about 1/3^rd of an inch deep, but does not breach any thermal protective barriers. Im feeling very confident that this is not going to turn out to be anything very significant. |
| www.suntimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket7st/basket7st1122901969.aspx Blasts hit holiday resort in Turkey HOUSTON - Two astronauts from the US space shuttle Discovery embarked on their second space walk of the mission in a bid to replace a faulty gyro scope aboard the International Space Station. The walk took place as the Discovery crew awaited Nasa's decision on whet her the space shuttle is safe to return to Earth. Donning bulky space suits, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi and American Steve Robinson moved into Discovery's airlock and switched on their aut onomous electrical batteries, a procedure that formally marked the begin ning of the walk at 3:42am. Let's get started," radioed one of them as they began making their way into open space. As opposed to Saturday's walk when the astronauts juggled several tasks, the main purpose of their excursion is to replace the gyroscope, one of four devices that help keep the station in predetermined orbit. In a slight adjustment to the program, Noguchi and Robinson also tested t he exit hatch after they moved into the cargo bay. The change was prompted by some "difficulties" the astronauts experienced while closing the hatch after their spacewalk on Saturday, according to US space officials. After finishing with the hatch, the pair made their way to a station trus s where they began unscrewing bolts holding the defective gyroscope. Noguchi will then ride the stations robot arm, taking the failed device t o Discovery's cargo bay, and ride back to the truss with a new one, the officials said. The mechanical arm is being operated by Discovery pilot Jim Kelly and mis sion specialist Wendy Lawrence. After the gyroscope is installed, station flight controllers will power i t up and check it out. The whole operation is expected to take about six and a half hours. A tot al of three walks are planned for the current shuttle flight. Meanwhile, other astronauts will continue transferring equipment and supp lies between Discovery and the station. While engineers and mission mana gers have given Discovery's outer coating of thermal protection tiles th e all-clear, they are still reviewing a problem with protruding gap fill ers between the tiles on the bottom of the spacecraft, officials said. The ceramic fibre fillers are used to keep hot gas from flowing into gaps between the tiles. National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials were confident th ey would be able to clear Discovery for its return flight to Earth on Au gust 8 as planned. "With the exception of the gap filler, I think we are pretty much ready t o declare the (shuttle) is safe for re-entry," said shuttle program offi cial Steve Poulos. "We have a very clean orbiter," said Wayne Hale, chairman of the shuttle program management team. Nasa's head administrator admitted Sunday that the US space agency had "g oofed" on key safety checks prior to Discovery's launch last Tuesday. As everyone has said with out any attempt to hide it ... we goofed on that one," Michael Griffin t old NBC television. Griffin was addressing the several problems that have cropped up, includi ng the loss of a sizable chunk of insulating foam from Discovery's exter nal fuel tank just minutes into the launch. It was the loss of a similar piece of foam at blastoff which damaged tile s on the shuttle Columbia and led to its disintegration as it entered th e earth's atmosphere in February 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboa rd. |