Shuttle shelter

[scipt]

Why doesn't the shuttle have a small removable shelter added to the launch tower to deflect hail? Given the cost of this delay it would seem wise no? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[summoner]

I've thought the same thing. I don't think it would take much more than a hard plastic cover that could be easily lifted away before fueling. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>

 

[no_way]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>small removable shelter<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Although it may seem different from 320x200 video clips on computer screen, the shuttle ET is 154 feet tall.<br />That sort of prevents it from fitting inside anything "small"

 

[MeteorWayne]

Wayne Hale <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> actually addressed that issue during one of the post storm news conferences.<br />IIRC, it was because of cost/benefit and logistics. I'll see if I can find it in my infamous "chicken scratch" notes. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Given the cost of this delay it would seem wise no? <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />I suspect the real challenge with any such structure, even if it does save money in the long term, is persuading the Budget Gods to recognize that fact and approve the initial capital expense. That is, unless there isn't some engineering analysis that makes it problematic anyway. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[ckikilwai]

I don't think hail storms are so common in Florida,<br />IIRC, S_G wrote somewhere in the STS-117 thread that it had never happen before.

 

[MeteorWayne]

No there was one previus hailstorm that affected an ET, which was part of the training for the repairs on this tank.<br />STS-96 had ~ 250 hits on the tank. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[vulture2]

Such storms are rare and I would agree that at this point in the shuttle program a major mod is unlikely. However as I recall the weather protection panels around the orbiter itself were themselves a significant mod added only after STS-1. The Delta IV, in contrast, is almost fully enclosed by the mobile service tower until just a few hours before launch, and if a storm were likely the tower would not be rolled back. The Shuttle is unusual in having foam insulation on surfaces facing upward, but all launch vehicles, at least in Florida, are vulnerable to some degree of weather damage so it would be reasonable to design future launch systems to minimize the hazard.

 

[ckikilwai]

oh I'm sorry shuttle_guy, I wanted to check it in the STS-117 thread but it was just so huge <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /><br />I will avoid in the future <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[willpittenger]

I think the small part applied to the shelter's size when FOLDED. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

Especially with the shuttles being retired in a few years. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

I agree. A hard shelter might help, but would not fold up or disassemble into as compact of a form. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

I should note that a simple soft covering directly on the tank would not protect the foam from impacts all that well. It would keep rain off (<img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />), but not hail. To protect from hail, you must: Put padding into the cover, Use a frame to move the cover away from the tank, OR use a hard cover like fiberglass.<br /><br />BTW: While we have not been kind to your idea, it was a very good one that, had it been thought of in the late 1970's, would have been a no-brainer. Keep up the good work. We need people like you. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>