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Larrchild
Well-known member
Anything conceived for this program during the low-bid Bush years of 2000 to 2008 needs to be tossed in the dustbin because of the tendency for Republican administrations to lose manned space vehicles due to corporate and administrative pressure, created by evil appointees, inept middle managers, and general stupidity.
Then, when that's done, we need a nice 5-engine, kerosene-guzzling Wernher von Braun Saturn 5 Special.
Or the 9-engine, privately developed Falcon 9 by Spacex:
http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php
No more roman candles, please.
Then, when that's done, we need a nice 5-engine, kerosene-guzzling Wernher von Braun Saturn 5 Special.
Or the 9-engine, privately developed Falcon 9 by Spacex:
http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php
No more roman candles, please.
I don't understand why they don't human rate(I think that is the right words) a proven heavy lifter like a titan etc.
IIRC I read a story on the web a few months ago about people(engineers current and retired) etc designing a lifter on there own because they do not like the new design. I am looking for a link. I think I might have read it at space.com
IIRC I read a story on the web a few months ago about people(engineers current and retired) etc designing a lifter on there own because they do not like the new design. I am looking for a link. I think I might have read it at space.com
Larrchild
Well-known member
This is what I was driving at. Like other areas of Government, good people are bailing, rather than fight the small-mindedness.
You realize that they awarded the contract for the capsule to the company that had no manned experience instead of the one that has done it since 1960? Some BS about "being more versatile".
Sounds like a giant briefcase of cash to some Congressman, to me.
Liquid fuel boosters have "pogo", where the fuel flow oscillates and shakes the occupants, but that has been addressed a lot in 50 years by dampners and anti-slosh baffles.. The SRB solids are pretty much what the Chinese invented 1000's of years ago, lol. You can't gimbal them much, you cant shutdown an engine and they are next to a Giant gas tank.
Bah. Those Spacex boosters all have a clampdown that only releases after all engines make full thrust on the pad. I like that. Hitting the tower sucks.
You realize that they awarded the contract for the capsule to the company that had no manned experience instead of the one that has done it since 1960? Some BS about "being more versatile".
Sounds like a giant briefcase of cash to some Congressman, to me.
Liquid fuel boosters have "pogo", where the fuel flow oscillates and shakes the occupants, but that has been addressed a lot in 50 years by dampners and anti-slosh baffles.. The SRB solids are pretty much what the Chinese invented 1000's of years ago, lol. You can't gimbal them much, you cant shutdown an engine and they are next to a Giant gas tank.
Bah. Those Spacex boosters all have a clampdown that only releases after all engines make full thrust on the pad. I like that. Hitting the tower sucks.
Larrchild
Well-known member
It was little reported because of more urgent news, but Spacex achieved the distinction of being the first privately-funded company to achieve orbit.
They are also leasing an old Titan pad at Canaveral to launch the bigger Falcon 9.
They are also leasing an old Titan pad at Canaveral to launch the bigger Falcon 9.
Larrchild
Well-known member
BTW, these Spacex folk want nothing to do with solid boosters. They just strap on more liquid fuel 9-engine boosters:
http://www.spacex.com/falcon9_heavy.php
http://www.spacex.com/falcon9_heavy.php
jdbakker
Well-known member
Sounds like not too much has changed since the Challenger.
JD 'plus ça change...' B.
[Mr. Feynman sure did have a way with words]
JD 'plus ça change...' B.
[Mr. Feynman sure did have a way with words]
Larrchild
Well-known member
bcarso
Well-known member
I miss RPF. I was in his house a few years ago, now inhabited by his daughter Michelle. It was for a chamber music concert. I seemed to be the only person there who recognized Dick in a portrait, a fairly good oil painting.
One of the truly brilliant guys. I missed meeting him in 1965 when I was one of 30 repellently nerdy adolescent brainiacs at the Summer Science Program in Ojai. He had been a guest speaker a couple of times before, but was called at the last minute to Washington.
A previous year, one of the students said "Could you tell us about the theory that the positron is an electron travelling backwards in time?" RPF said "Well yeah! That's my theory!"
At the '65 session, Jesse Greenstein, a respected astrophysicist, substituted for Feynman at the last minute. He had had the misfortune of not figuring out that a bunch of strange spectral emission lines in an apparently stellar object (i.e., what appeared to be a point source with even the largest telescopes---Greeenstein worked at the 200" a lot) were in fact massively red-shifted lines of familiar elements. The man who did get it was Maarten Schmidt, who was also a guest lecturer that year in Ojai. That got Schmidt on the cover of Time, among other honors, for uncovering the likely true distance to, and hence the enormous energetics of, Quasi Stellar Objects.
Greenstein just wrote a paper about this peculiar star in which he fitted the data to obscure things like quadruply-ionized gadolinium and the like.
When Greenstein started to lecture, one of the more egregiously rude students, one David Lewin, who spent a lot of time bitching about how he should have gone to a summer math program instead, piped up after Greenstein said how happy he was to address us.
"Well, we wanted Feynman, but you'll have to do".
I reminded a professor of that incident, which although about which he had chewed us all out the next day, had forgotten.
"Hmmm---so that explains why Greenstein never accepted another invitation from SSP!"
One of the truly brilliant guys. I missed meeting him in 1965 when I was one of 30 repellently nerdy adolescent brainiacs at the Summer Science Program in Ojai. He had been a guest speaker a couple of times before, but was called at the last minute to Washington.
A previous year, one of the students said "Could you tell us about the theory that the positron is an electron travelling backwards in time?" RPF said "Well yeah! That's my theory!"
At the '65 session, Jesse Greenstein, a respected astrophysicist, substituted for Feynman at the last minute. He had had the misfortune of not figuring out that a bunch of strange spectral emission lines in an apparently stellar object (i.e., what appeared to be a point source with even the largest telescopes---Greeenstein worked at the 200" a lot) were in fact massively red-shifted lines of familiar elements. The man who did get it was Maarten Schmidt, who was also a guest lecturer that year in Ojai. That got Schmidt on the cover of Time, among other honors, for uncovering the likely true distance to, and hence the enormous energetics of, Quasi Stellar Objects.
Greenstein just wrote a paper about this peculiar star in which he fitted the data to obscure things like quadruply-ionized gadolinium and the like.
When Greenstein started to lecture, one of the more egregiously rude students, one David Lewin, who spent a lot of time bitching about how he should have gone to a summer math program instead, piped up after Greenstein said how happy he was to address us.
"Well, we wanted Feynman, but you'll have to do".
I reminded a professor of that incident, which although about which he had chewed us all out the next day, had forgotten.
"Hmmm---so that explains why Greenstein never accepted another invitation from SSP!"
nickt
Well-known member
[quote author="Larrchild"]Anything conceived for this program during the low-bid Bush years of 2000 to 2008 needs to be tossed in the dustbin because of the tendency for Republican administrations to lose manned space vehicles due to corporate and administrative pressure, created by evil appointees, inept middle managers, and general stupidity.[/quote]
I don't think it's Bush but Bush seems to be another expression of the same sort of management issue. I work in technology but have watched over the last 15 years as anyone who knew anything was replaced by "professional" managers (you know the "perception is reality" dudes).
I bet the NASA managers all have Harvard Business MBAs or equivalent. Same bunch of dudes gave us "outsourcing", "subprime meltdown", "iraq war" (as a two pager for dubya), etc etc etc - all the many and various corporate stupidities we now endure where stability and common sense once reigned.
I don't think it's Bush but Bush seems to be another expression of the same sort of management issue. I work in technology but have watched over the last 15 years as anyone who knew anything was replaced by "professional" managers (you know the "perception is reality" dudes).
I bet the NASA managers all have Harvard Business MBAs or equivalent. Same bunch of dudes gave us "outsourcing", "subprime meltdown", "iraq war" (as a two pager for dubya), etc etc etc - all the many and various corporate stupidities we now endure where stability and common sense once reigned.
Larrchild
Well-known member
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4212923.html
pstamler
Well-known member
[quote author="Gus"]I don't understand why they don't human rate(I think that is the right words) a proven heavy lifter like a titan etc.[/quote]
Been there, done that. The booster for the Gemini spacecraft was a Titan.
Peace,
Paul
Been there, done that. The booster for the Gemini spacecraft was a Titan.
Peace,
Paul
