Pope Flick Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 A 98.5% success rate is hardly crossing your fingers and hoping nothing bad happens. I'll respectfully submit: not for NASA. I recall reading somewhere that if Apollo 11 had a 1% failure rate on the rocket over 2000 moving parts would not have worked. Instead, they all worked and got them there and back. I just see it as an incredible slide into mediocrity that they basically did launch these last few missions with their fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) I'll respectfully submit: not for NASA. I recall reading somewhere that if Apollo 11 had a 1% failure rate on the rocket over 2000 moving parts would not have worked. Instead, they all worked and got them there and back. I just see it as an incredible slide into mediocrity that they basically did launch these last few missions with their fingers crossed. I'm pretty sure the expected failure for the shuttle was 1% as well. A realized failure rate of 1.5% is pretty much right as expected. I also disagree that NASA was approaching the post-Columbia missions with just their fingers crossed. Also, concerning Apollo, let's not forget that out of the 18 numbered missions (not all of which were actual launches), there was one failure that killed all three crew members and another failure that almost killed three more. From that perspective, I'm not sure at all how you could say that NASA slid into mediocrity with the Shuttle (which was actually a much more complicated vehicle system than the Saturn V system). Edited July 10, 2011 by wiegie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) I'll respectfully submit: not for NASA. I recall reading somewhere that if Apollo 11 had a 1% failure rate on the rocket over 2000 moving parts would not have worked. Instead, they all worked and got them there and back. I just see it as an incredible slide into mediocrity that they basically did launch these last few missions with their fingers crossed. I think that part of the problem is that the shuttles were designed and built in the 70s (maybe early 80s for some of them?). Edit: It looks like Endeavor was built in the late 80s to replace Challenger. Anyway, I don't think that many people thought that they would still be using them in 2011. Edited July 10, 2011 by Furd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 I think that part of the problem is that the shuttles were designed and built in the 70s (maybe early 80s for some of them?). Edit: It looks like Endeavor was built in the late 80s to replace Challenger. Anyway, I don't think that many people thought that they would still be using them in 2011. The Shuttles were originally designed in the 70's for a 10 year lifespan. We had life-extension exercises in the 80's and 90's. No one ver expected we would be retiring the fleet in 2011. The Shuttle is the most complicated piece of machinery ever built by mankind. Wings in Orbit is a book we just released on the engineering achievements from the Shuttle program. I co-authored the section on pressure vessels (p280). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Again, although the cost was indeed double the original estimates, all that does is look at cost alone. I have yet to see an ROI produced, most likely because it can't be yet. There is surely a ton of value realized from the $185 billion, much of it probably as yet unrealized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Spending that money on NASA to inspire the American people to reach for the stars is worth every penny. COnsidering how many things we waste and piss away money on in our gubmnet, I do not think that striving for greater knowledge about the universe and looking to gain knowledge is a poor endeavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Spending that money on NASA to inspire the American people to reach for the stars is worth every penny. COnsidering how many things we waste and piss away money on in our gubmnet, I do not think that striving for greater knowledge about the universe and looking to gain knowledge is a poor endeavor. Exactly. I don't swell up with pride when my tax money is going to some idjut that checks out the grocery line twice...once for food stamps and the next time for his cigs and beer. Slowly but surely, we are losing everything to be proud of being an American. You ask every one of those astronauts if taking the risk was worth it and 100% would say yes. Hell, I'd go up tomorrow even if the risk was 10 times greater. This is just another example of the backward steps this nation is taking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Landing tomorrow at 05:56 EST The end of an era for sure. We will be partying hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Exactly. I don't swell up with pride when my tax money is going to some idjut that checks out the grocery line twice...once for food stamps and the next time for his cigs and beer. Slowly but surely, we are losing everything to be proud of being an American. You ask every one of those astronauts if taking the risk was worth it and 100% would say yes. Hell, I'd go up tomorrow even if the risk was 10 times greater. This is just another example of the backward steps this nation is taking. NASA is now using these machines called probes that can go anywhere and take surveys. We don't need humans in space until we can find a planet worth visiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'canes2004 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Landing tomorrow at 05:56 ESTThe end of an era for sure. We will be partying hard. My dog will not miss the twin sonic booms when its flies over my house on it's way back to KSC. He barks like crazy as it rattles my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) I was actually coming here to bump this thread up for the landing. I've got my alarm set to watch it come in. Edited July 21, 2011 by wiegie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 I was actually coming here to bump this thread up for the landing. I've got my alarm set to watch it come in. Heading into the office now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 No problems on landing, woo hoo! time for great quantities of coffee and/or alcohol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I think it would have been funny as hell if the shuttle crew came out of Atlantis this morning dressed up like apes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I think it would have been funny as hell if the shuttle crew came out of Atlantis this morning dressed up like apes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I think it would have been funny as hell if the shuttle crew came out of Atlantis this morning dressed up like apes. Then jumped back inside and started the shuttle back up screaming "We have to fix this!!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Science channel had an awesome show about the shuttle lastnight, i didn't catch all of it. that friigin crane that lifted it up to attach it to the boosters with 4" clearance was incredible ta see. I've always wanted NASA ta show more chit ta keep my interest, don't know if it's classified or their PR guy needs a double That's one heck of a job ya got jetsfan no wonder you can operate MFL, Bills suck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Science channel had an awesome show about the shuttle lastnight, i didn't catch all of it. that friigin crane that lifted it up to attach it to the boosters with 4" clearance was incredible ta see. I've always wanted NASA ta show more chit ta keep my interest, don't know if it's classified or their PR guy needs a double That's one heck of a job ya got jetsfan no wonder you can operate MFL, Bills suck luv my job. Bills suck. :missyou: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 James Webb Telescope was cut by Congress it's not dead yet, I actually encourage people to contact their congressmembers to tell them to fund this (and similar) projects http://news.discovery.com/space/james-webb...ved-110914.html Finally, some good news for the Hubble space telescope's successor: a Senate subcommittee has approved a science appropriations bill today providing funds to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for the next fiscal year. "The bill provides funds to enable a 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope," the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations subcommittee press release states. keep hope alive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 10 NASA products #1 has come in 'handy' many times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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