Space Shuttle Return to Flight - Pt. 2

[najab]

Well, shuttle_guy reminded me that STS-121 was added before the loss of <i>Columbia</i>, but you are right about the mission objectives being radically altered.

 

[georgeniebling]

yep, I hadn't gotten deep enought down into the new popsts to see that SG had already answered my question and you noted that before I could get back to delete my comment .... don't ya love the Internet?

 

[drwayne]

"I made a hard copy of the data and mailed it to him with a note: "John, this is not Apollo, I can see everything you do.""<br /><br />Did he / how di he respond to that?<br /><br />I love "listening" to you! <br /><br />Wayne<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[najab]

I remember once, before the crash, you told us about how John Young once took a swing at one of the TPE engineers....this wouldn't happen to be the other half of that story, would it? <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[rybanis]

Hilarity!<br /><br />I would be afraid of brusing an astronaut's ego... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

That's a great explanation, SG, and a great story about John Young also, thank-you. I heard Archambault apologise for his mistake in the commentary, I'm sure he was embarrassed about the gaff, especially as I think they had tried some troubleshooting of the relay on the ground first.<br /><br />Sorry najaB, I think we've pinched another of your beer stories! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[ozspace]

SG, Bill Harwood of CBS has noted that "sources say it will be difficult to meet the July 13 launch target", do you have any comment? Or anyone else?

 

[najab]

The vehicle will be physically ready to launch well before July 12 - unless more work gets added. The question is, will the Orbiter/ET projects be ready to support that date?

 

[drwayne]

"Someone in Houston may know that they will have us do more work or that they still will not finish the paperwork."<br /><br />Cynical remark based on experience with management thought processes - they will give you more work to cover for the fact that the paperwork isn't done.<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[najab]

/** I didn't say anything **/

 

[shuttle_rtf]

Hale comes across really overly optimisic. Parsons seems a bit more open.<br /><br />Got to say yet again, Commander Collins is such a brilliant person for the media. Her press conference was again fantastic. Open and honest, warm and giving with her comments. Would love to meet her one day.<br /><br />Only spoken to one astronaut before...give you a clue, he was a former soccer player and was sadly lost to us in a plane accident.<br /><br />

 

[shuttle_rtf]

You know, SG. If I enjoy 10 percent of the life your living, I'll be a happy man.

 

[ozspace]

Another tanking test before roll back without the mods'? I assume they would do yet another one after the mod's are done and the stack is rolled out to check the ice build ups, etc?

 

[drwayne]

I'm sorry SG, I didn't mean to make you mad, I was just, comiserating, having spent nearly my entire career in the mushroom room.<br /><br />Wayne<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[najab]

Question: Now that the launch has been slipped by 8 weeks, are the techs still going to be working three shifts, 7 days a week? I remember you had said that the plan was to work 24/7 up till launch. Are you going to cut back the hours now, or push to finish everything ASAP and then ease up once it's all done?

 

[ozspace]

"verify the ECO sensor problem went away with the connectors and black box we removed" So that work has been completed or in work? I thought they had some access problems for the sensors and so part of the reason for roll back, or is that just ET related?

 

[najab]

><i> I thought they had some access problems for the sensors...</i><p>That's if they have to access the sensors themselves. The thinking (hoping) is that the problem is in an electronics box or connectors so that they won't have to go back into areas that were already closed out for flight.</p>

 

[drwayne]

SG,<br /><br />It was very....insensitive on my part to go blitely and stupidly stomping on a sore nerve like I did.<br /><br />Maybe I'll get to see you later this summer, and I'll buy you one of those beers.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[drwayne]

When I was in grad school, doing research, I got on some weird schedules, nights and a round-the-clock here and there. (Limitations of when the building was electrically quiet, when a dewar of liquid helium was in the lab, your turn with the equipment etc.) - over 3 hours of sleep was a luxury...<br /><br />The weird part of it is, that you get to where you have no clue whatsoever what day it is, sometimes, what month it is!<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

<font color="yellow">SG, Bill Harwood of CBS has noted that "sources say it will be difficult to meet the July 13 launch target", do you have any comment? Or anyone else?</font><br /><br /><br /><br />Oz, the experts have already addressed your question, however I just wanted to mention something I saw on the launch delay press conference the other day. Bill Parsons made the point that it would be important they (the JSC and MSFC folks SG has more correctly identified for me) didn't try to use the launch delay to squeeze in 'extra' work, over and above the ECO issue and the heater mod issue.<br /><br />The way he seemed to see it was that these extra few weeks are just to correct those two problems, that everything else is fundamentally sound, and that they weren't going looking to find delay-causing problems.<br /><br />I don't know if I have explained that well, but the bottom-line impression I got from Parsons was that he was aware of the 'big picture'. That he realises it is important that things remained focussed and that this delay not turn into several more delays as they go on a wild goose chase, looking for problems where there are none. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[shuttle_rtf]

He's picked on something I took as a cautionary note. There's another press conference coming on work to be carried out on the ET's for STS-114 and STS-121 (STS-300)....and that was brought up in reaction to a question from AP's Marcia who said she's heard the July launch is not doable.

 

[SpaceKiwi]

Thanks SG, I knew you would be able to characterise it better than me. I was just trying to address what I thought was the crux of ozspace's concern, namely that he is worried we are going to go down the path of endless minor problems delaying the launch constantly.<br /><br />From what I got out of Bill's comment, it seemed that he was very keen to keep any of his folks from looking for new work that suddenly needs doing. For example, holding the flight up again because someone wants to develop the boom idea some more, or add an additional tile repair test or what-have-you. That's how I read his comment to the media. I didn't mean to suggest that included any independent action from you guys at KSC. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[rvastro]

>>They were afraid of George Abby punishing them by bumping them down on the crew selection list<<<br /><br />I have read some bad things about Abby in the book Dragonfly. The jist that I got is that astronauts and other workers lived in fear of crossing him. I am wondering how many of the stories in that book are true.

 

[ozspace]

Assuming they don't add anything new, I guess it comes down to the work required to satisfy the Stafford Covey review process, right? <br /><br />EDIT /> ..and the ECO and pressure valve anomalies

 

[najab]

So is it looking like the stack swap is a serious possibility?