Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Looks like the first landing window, today, is 12:32 (de-orbit burn at 11:25), with a second window at 2:06 (burn at 1:00). Looks like, if they use the first window, then the shuttle will come in from pretty much due south, and if they use the second, if will approach from the southwest. So I guess it's unlikely that I'll hear it (I'm NW of the cape) no matter which window they use. Co-worker says that, if they use the first window, then they'll pass pretty much directly over Hurricane Dean (way too high to have an effect.) (Pity the shuttle doesn't have a window on the bottom. I'd bet that a (really) high-speed, high-altitude flyover of a hurricane would be some neat video.) ('Course, I don't know if they could take pictures even if they had a window. They might still be doing their meteor impression at that point in the descent.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeman38 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Looks like the first landing window, today, is 12:32 (de-orbit burn at 11:25), with a second window at 2:06 (burn at 1:00). Looks like, if they use the first window, then the shuttle will come in from pretty much due south, and if they use the second, if will approach from the southwest. So I guess it's unlikely that I'll hear it (I'm NW of the cape) no matter which window they use. Co-worker says that, if they use the first window, then they'll pass pretty much directly over Hurricane Dean (way too high to have an effect.) (Pity the shuttle doesn't have a window on the bottom. I'd bet that a (really) high-speed, high-altitude flyover of a hurricane would be some neat video.) ('Course, I don't know if they could take pictures even if they had a window. They might still be doing their meteor impression at that point in the descent.) Have they definitively cleared the tiles of damage from the foam during take-off? I know they were using the Intl Space Station cameras to get a visual of all the tiles before docking, and they seemed to be worried about a couple spots. Did they repair them or deem them safe? I don't want to wake up to another Columbia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Ground controllers decided that the damage wasn't big enough to need repair. Me: I don't see what the down side is of just having them repair them, anyway, whether they need it or not. Might be good practice. and when it lands, we'd get to see how well the goop held up during an actual re-entry. (Which might be nice to find out before they need it.) Only down side I can see is that an EVA, in itself, has a risk. But I'd assume that the people who're "up there" can make that decision. (Unless they're worried that the goop, itself, might cause a problem. Mess up the airflow, put a mechanical strain on the tiles, something like that.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Payload bay doors closed. "Close the payload bay doors, please, HAL." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Have they definitively cleared the tiles of damage from the foam during take-off? I know they were using the Intl Space Station cameras to get a visual of all the tiles before docking, and they seemed to be worried about a couple spots. Did they repair them or deem them safe? I don't want to wake up to another Columbia. From what I read the tiles were never damaged enough to cause a fatal problem. They were only considering fixing them to minimize post flight repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USS Redskins Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Larry is right. I guess its risky to try to repair but why not get the practice and see if it works! Easy for me to say at my computer terminal but how are they going to know the goop even holds up during reentry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Just saw: NASA has a video on their site of the tile damage. (Looks a lot deeper than I expected.) link (Still, as the saying goes, I'm not a rocket scientist.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 De-orbit burn completed. They're now committed. They're going to land somewhere (Somewhere North Atlantic? I don't know how much they can steer.) in an hour or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergasun Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Hope she comes down allright. My dad and I agreed they should've fixed the tiles just to be safe. I can't say I trust NASAs "engineering judgement" on this issue. Are they already past that danger yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Over the South Pacific right now. Heading towards Panama. (At a really good clip.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Past Panama. Into the Gulf, headed for Cuba. (I'm watching video with the sound off (work). So I don't know what they're saying, but I can read a map.) The track on the map at NASA has changed to yellow. Because they're now in radio blackout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Over Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Over Florida. 200 miles to go. (In 3 minutes.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCranon21 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 So they are going to make it home safely...that's good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Touchdown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbqbfan Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Touchdown. Just saw it. Air controller said "new meaning to higher education".:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsOrlando Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 The re-entry booms shook the windows, I forgot it was coming down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjah Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Touchdown. Did they go for two? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Touchdown.Wow. 26 minutes from the SOuth Pacific to Florida. "A good clip" is the understatment of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Well, when it's in orbit, it takes about 90 minutes to complete an orbit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Wow. 26 minutes from the SOuth Pacific to Florida. "A good clip" is the understatment of the day. No kidding. How much of a kick would that ride be? ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 And my basis for saying "a good clip" was that NASA was showing the map, the map covered, say, from central Argentina to, say, Maine, and you could see the shuttle move on the map. I think I calculated once, it orbits at a ground-equivalent speed of Mach 26. I think the time it takes to cross the US, in minutes, is a single-digit number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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