Discovery: STS-133

[Yossarian]

Absolutely stunning video, watch in HD+full screen+full volume etc  :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kayCLca1YMc

I still can't believe they're retiring those beauties...

[Strip]

I can, the whole NASA system is garbage...it takes them two days of paperwork to tighten a B nut!

Strip

[Wildcat1]

beautiful as she is, she is still a 30-yr. old peice of hardware and computers that astronauts are entrusting their lives to to get them to space and back.

i've seen photos of discovery where she looks kind of rusty almost

[F22RaptorDude]

The people who hate NASA can go to hell, i'm a proud supporter of the space program and i'll defend that to my death! 

[Yossarian]

I can, the whole NASA system is garbage...it takes them two days of paperwork to tighten a B nut!

Strip

Tbh when they're dealing with something so insanely complex as the Shuttle, I'd say that's pretty fair.

This article shows pretty well what they need in terms of reliability: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html

And this quote illustrates what you get when you're careful :

But how much work the software does is not what makes it remarkable. What makes it remarkable is how well the software works. This software never crashes. It never needs to be re-booted. This software is bug-free. It is perfect, as perfect as human beings have achieved. Consider these stats : the last three versions of the program -- each 420,000 lines long-had just one error each. The last 11 versions of this software had a total of 17 errors. Commercial programs of equivalent complexity would have 5,000 errors.

[Strip]

If you look at the Space Shuttle system by system its actually pretty crude (but effective)
and relatively simple. The complexity comes from the sheer number of systems involved and
the reliability required. Save the SSME, OMS engine, RCS fuel management and few other bits
of hardware and its not any more complicated than some earth bound aircraft.

The stories I could tell....

Strip

[moot]

beautiful as she is, she is still a 30-yr. old peice of hardware and computers that astronauts are entrusting their lives to to get them to space and back.

i've seen photos of discovery where she looks kind of rusty almost

That's inaccurate...

Tbh when they're dealing with something so insanely complex as the Shuttle, I'd say that's pretty fair.

This article shows pretty well what they need in terms of reliability: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html

And this quote illustrates what you get when you're careful :

Pareto and Murphy's diminishing returns.  Commercial by principle isn't going to do it govt way, but rather "build a little, test a little".

[Strip]

The general purpose computers have about 23 years in service right now,  but are
simple and rudimentary at best. At worst you have magnitudes times more power
inside your average smart phone than the entire Shuttle combined. Much of the
Shuttle is still as it was originally designed save a few sub systems and upgrades.
Don't get me wrong, I am sad to see her go but it was old technology in the early 90's!

Strip

[Yossarian]

The stories I could tell....

If you're willing to tell, I'm interested!

The general purpose computers have about 23 years in service right now,  but are
simple and rudimentary at best. At worst you have magnitudes times more power
inside your average smart phone than the entire Shuttle combined. Much of the
Shuttle is still as it was originally designed save a few sub systems and upgrades.
Don't get me wrong, I am sad to see her go but it was old technology in the early 90's!

Strip

It does seem to get the job done effectively, though.

[curry1]

beautiful as she is, she is still a 30-yr. old peice of hardware and computers that astronauts are entrusting their lives to to get them to space and back.

i've seen photos of discovery where she looks kind of rusty almost

Rust you see is probably the old tiles after re-entry

[oakranger]

I can, the whole NASA system is garbage...it takes them two days of paperwork to tighten a B nut!

Strip

That B nut is probably worth 10-20 thousand dollars a piece. 

[Jayhawk]

I can, the whole NASA system is garbage...it takes them two days of paperwork to tighten a B nut!

Strip

I just fail to see how a program that, over the last 50 years, has consistently sent men into space, landed men on the moon, sent ships all over our solar system, landed robots on mars, and has produced some of the most interesting information on our world and other worlds can be called garbage.

[Tyrannis]

something ive allways wondered....


does the U.S announce to other world powers when we're doing a space launch? like china/russia/etc? so they dont freak out when they see us launching something up there.

[Yossarian]

something ive allways wondered....


does the U.S announce to other world powers when we're doing a space launch? like china/russia/etc? so they dont freak out when they see us launching something up there.

I think there are basically two types of launches: first are the standard ones (using Atlas, Delta, Minotaur, etc), and the second would be purely military ones (so whatever rockets the military uses - I have no idea).

For the former: as far as I know that information is all publicly available.  I think all such launches are conducted from well-established launch pads (i.e. Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg AFB, Kennedy Space Center) which can only launch one type of rocket each.  I suspect that the launches which other countries might get pissed off about are the latter type, especially if they launch on paths which could be misinterpreted as being for weapons.  As to whether that information is shared - I don't know, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is.

[Wildcat1]

Rust you see is probably the old tiles after re-entry

yeah, probably.

was thinking "no way they would let that go into space with rust"