MSNBC BREAKING: Astronaut successfully pulls 1st piece of dangling materia

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://msnbc.msn.com/

Astronaut successfully pulls 1st piece of dangling material from shuttle belly

<</SNIP>>

Top of the page, no additional info yet.

[Ivote]

1. Thank You Thank You Thank You NASA

n/t
:bounce:

[Ivote]

2. Link Here

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8806241/
:kick:

[LynzM]

3. My question about this:

That material must be in there for a reason... why are they just taking it out and not replacing it? What happens once it's gone, and why not just try to push it back in where it belongs?

Thanks for the link, though!

[Benhurst]

4. Don't question the authorities. Jeez! NT

[LynzM]

6. I know, right?

Can't help it. I'm curious by nature, particularly about things like this...

[Massacure]

5. The gap fillers prevent the tiles from hitting each other during launch.

The launch is more taxing in terms of G-Force than the return.

[LynzM]

7. That makes sense

Thanks!

[MadisonProgressive]

10. The gap fillers

are needed during takeoff to prevent the tiles from bumping into each other. They are not required for reentry.

[LynzM]

16. Thanks for the info, MP

:)

[DS1]

11. *snort*

I was wondering that too, from what I've read, the other half of NASA was wondering that also.

It's like putting a computer back together and having a handful of screws left on the outside, and calling the machine faster.

[LynzM]

17. LOL

Now *there's* a great analogy... I agree, putting things 'back' together and winding up with extra parts usually isn't a good sign... though it sounds like this is maybe a little less bad than I'd have thought. Who knows.

[bluedog]

13. also

I wouldn't feel too safe about a material that could be "pulled" out so easily...makes one wonder what the rest of the tiles are hanging onto!

[kliljedahl]

8. For cube rats, watch it live

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[DS1]

12. That is just phenomenal, watching the helmet-cam on my laptop

over a wireless network in realtime.

How far we've come :-)

.. too bad about the shuttle falling to pieces

[kliljedahl]

15. I've been watching it since I got up this morning

Except for the trip to work. Fascinating stuff.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[zanne]

9. Why is the media so fixated on this?

Every cable news network, and even C-Span seem to be obssessed with the shuttle and it's been around for decades!

[VegasWolf]

20. Because if that yanked out cloth exposes some other structural weakness

the networks will have plenty of background footage.

[mattclearing]

14. NASA needs a complete re-tooling, if not replacement.

We're never going to get our flying cars at this rate. It's like we're moving backwards. I remember when space shuttle launches were automatic. What gives?

If you told me in 1987 that in 2005 we'd be impressed when a space shuttle didn't blow up, or even that we'd still be USING the space shuttle, I'd have cried.

It would be nice to have a President with vision, who set goals outside of this planet, loftier than international conflict and social engineering.

[Benhurst]

18. We have such a man, George W. Bush. His vision is taking

us to Mars and beyond. Get on message! Jeez!

[Pachamama]

19. Why do they have "tiles" in the 1st place? Wouldn't a solid smooth surface

eliminate the need for "fillers" or gaps that present risk of the heat on re-entry entering into the underbelly of the shuttle?

Just wondering...I'm not a scientist, but its something that has crossed my curious mind several times as there have been all these discussions about the "tiles"...

Anyone know? :shrug:

[underthedome]

21. Heat distribution. *nm

nm

[Pachamama]

22. But couldn't you have a solid surface w/ some raised surfaces for the heat

distribution then? Or indentations (don't know which is needed)...it just seems that if you want a ship that won't "leak" or fall apart on re-entry, wouldn't you prefer to have a surface that didn't have "gap fillers" that can be dangling or pulled out etc.?

hey, I'm not an engineer, but I'm a sailor and over the years of doing a lot of ocean sailing, having to dive and do hull repairs etc. as well as other boat repairs (including the use of duck tape) I will say that I know I'd prefer to have a hull made of a solid thick layer of fiberglass (or steel) or even a double hull, than one that was put together of "tiles" fit together....

[underthedome]

24. Goes back to heat distribution at high temps.

While your idea sounds like a good one dealing with temperatures of 3,000° F during re-entry in some parts one solid piece (of current materials) wouldn't distribute heat like the tiles do. NASA did replace tiles on the shuttle where temps reach only to 700°F with a fabric insulator years ago but it can't withstand the higher temps that other parts of the shuttle experience.

[rman]

25. They can't make a continuous surface with the material they use;

a porous ceramic. Making tiles is difficult enough.
The main problem with the tiles is that they can't be properly bonded to the shuttle hull, so they tend to fall off. The falling foam doesn't help either.

[damntexdem]

23. "Astronaut successfully pulls 1st piece of dangling material from ...

shuttle belly." Oh, belly -- at first I thought maybe he'd given the Space Shuttle a wedgie.

[mtnester]

27. dangling material

I am sorry, I could not help it, it is not funny but my mind went STRAIGHT to the gutter.

Please don't hurt me too bad.

[derby378]

26. Not to make light of this...

...but NASA could really use an R2 unit right now.