Chatroom
 

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum > Space and Astronomy > Space Exploration
Reload this Page Whitson comes back home, breaks record
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

   

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 20-April-2008, 04:34 PM
KaiYeves's Avatar
KaiYeves KaiYeves is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Currently on assignment on planet shown in avatar photo
Posts: 7,405
Default Whitson comes back home, breaks record
From NASA.gov.
I'd say, "She is cool", but that sounds like an understatement.
__________________
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 20-April-2008, 05:46 PM
peteshimmon peteshimmon is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: uk
Posts: 1,614
Default
My teletext indicated a missed landing site
by 250 Kms. Wonder why off nominal. Retrofire
wrong angle? too long? too short? Still a very
safe system apparently.
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 20-April-2008, 06:04 PM
KaiYeves's Avatar
KaiYeves KaiYeves is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Currently on assignment on planet shown in avatar photo
Posts: 7,405
Default
I'm glad they're okay. A little shaken, but okay.
__________________
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 21-April-2008, 03:46 AM
Doodler's Avatar
Doodler Doodler is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 9,416
Send a message via AIM to Doodler Send a message via MSN to Doodler
Default
Any landing you can walk away from...
__________________
I'm not completely heartless, the doctor who removed it told me he'd never be able to get it all.
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 21-April-2008, 12:51 PM
KaiYeves's Avatar
KaiYeves KaiYeves is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Currently on assignment on planet shown in avatar photo
Posts: 7,405
Default
... is a good landing.
__________________
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 22-April-2008, 10:49 AM
banquo's_bumble_puppy's Avatar
banquo's_bumble_puppy banquo's_bumble_puppy is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Alpha III
Posts: 1,946
Default
lucky she didn't break something else...ouch
__________________
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places. ~ Ernest Hemingway ...
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 26-April-2008, 06:47 PM
mugaliens's Avatar
mugaliens mugaliens is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Germany
Posts: 6,999
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by peteshimmon View Post
My teletext indicated a missed landing site
by 250 Kms. Wonder why off nominal. Retrofire
wrong angle? too long? too short? Still a very
safe system apparently.
In order to get a steeper angle, the retrofire could have either been pointed slightly further away from Earth (the nose of the capsule pointed more towards Earth), or it could have been for too long of a time.

What I'd be interested in knowing is whether or not the length of firing is pre-set (as in a solid fuel motor) or if it can be set in flight, either on board, via ground station, or both.
__________________
I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol.

Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and quite often not a very good one at that.

I am human. Fully human.
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 27-April-2008, 01:13 AM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,799
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by mugaliens View Post
What I'd be interested in knowing is whether or not the length of firing is pre-set (as in a solid fuel motor) or if it can be set in flight, either on board, via ground station, or both.
The de-orbit burn is not solid.

NASA - Russian Soyuz TMA Spacecraft Details

Quote:
The propulsion compartment contains the system that is used to perform any maneuvers while in orbit, including rendezvous and docking with the Space Station and the deorbit burns necessary to return to Earth. The propellants are nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetric-dimethylhydrazine. The main propulsion system and the smaller reaction control system, used for attitude changes while in space, share the same propellant tanks.
I don't know who can control the burn length. Since it's the main engine and is used in various parts of the mission, it performs burns of various durations. I'd expect the deorbit burn length to be modifiable.

A Wikipedia narrative about problems during the TM5 mission (to Mir) makes it sound pretty flexible, in this battle of erroneous navigation computer and manual control:

Quote:
They jettisoned the orbital module and made ready for deorbit burn to return to Earth. However, unbeknownst to the cosmonauts or the Mission Control Center in Korolev (TsUP), the guidance computer was using the docking software of the Bulgarian Mir mission in June. The deorbit burn did not occur at the appointed time because the infrared horizon sensor could not confirm the proper attitude. Seven minutes after the scheduled time, the sensor determined that the correct attitude had been achieved. The main engine fired, but Lyakhov shut it down after 3 seconds. A second firing 3 hours later lasted only 6 seconds. Lyakhov immediately attempted to manually deorbit the craft, but the computer shut down the engine after 60 seconds.
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0....
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 09-May-2008, 01:35 PM
Disinfo Agent Disinfo Agent is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,389
Exclamation Soyuz's Troubled Reentry
Is there no thread about this yet? I'm surprised. James Oberg has written an article about it. Here's a quote:

Quote:
7 May 2008—What should have been a routine return from the International Space Station (ISS) on 19 April 2008 quickly turned into a heart-stopping drama for ground controllers and the three astronauts aboard a Soyuz TMA-11.
I found a link to Oberg's article in the BA's blog. There were also a couple of UT stories by Fraser:

Soyuz Crew Safe After a Violent Re-entry and Landing 400km Off-target
New Facts Emerge from Soyuz Emergency Landing
Soyuz Capsule Hatch Nearly Burned Up and Crew's Lives Were on a "Razor's Edge"
Soyuz Hard Landing: The Facts
__________________
"All your bias are belong to us." Ara Pacis
"A witty saying proves nothing." Voltaire
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 09-May-2008, 08:32 PM
KaiYeves's Avatar
KaiYeves KaiYeves is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Currently on assignment on planet shown in avatar photo
Posts: 7,405
Default
I started this one.
__________________
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old 09-May-2008, 09:48 PM
ToSeek's Avatar
ToSeek ToSeek is offline
Vulcan Moderator
  
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Greenbelt, MD
Posts: 24,230
Default
Threads merged.
__________________
Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.
Reply With Quote
  #12 (permalink)  
Old 09-May-2008, 10:37 PM
JonClarke JonClarke is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,131
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disinfo Agent View Post
Is there no thread about this yet? I'm surprised. James Oberg has written an article about it.
Typical of Oberg these days. sadly. Some interesting facts, but what comes through is an almost obessive anti-Russian tone and a refusal to admit when he is wrong (he is still pushing his idisyncratic ideas on Mars 96). Does not bode well for the article as a whole.

Jon
Reply With Quote
  #13 (permalink)  
Old 13-May-2008, 09:34 PM
mugaliens's Avatar
mugaliens mugaliens is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Germany
Posts: 6,999
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by 01101001 View Post
The propulsion compartment contains the system that is used to perform any maneuvers while in orbit, including rendezvous and docking with the Space Station and the deorbit burns necessary to return to Earth. The propellants are nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetric-dimethylhydrazine. The main propulsion system and the smaller reaction control system, used for attitude changes while in space, share the same propellant tanks.
Then someone goofed.
__________________
I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol.

Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and quite often not a very good one at that.

I am human. Fully human.
Reply With Quote
  #14 (permalink)  
Old 16-May-2008, 03:16 PM
Christopher Ferro's Avatar
Christopher Ferro Christopher Ferro is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: The Space Coast
Posts: 1,270
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by JonClarke View Post
Typical of Oberg these days. sadly. Some interesting facts, but what comes through is an almost obessive anti-Russian tone and a refusal to admit when he is wrong (he is still pushing his idisyncratic ideas on Mars 96). Does not bode well for the article as a whole.

Jon
I don't get that sense from this article at all... In fact, he points out several times that the Russians did a good job of making a robust, survivable craft... I don't see anything for him to admit being wrong about. Maybe in other articles he is that way, but I don't see it here.

CJSF
__________________
Two years ago moved from my town
I was looking up past the city lights
But the city lights got in my way

See the constellation ride across the sky
No cigar, no lady on his arm
Just a guy made of dots and lines

-from "See The Constellation"
by They Might Be Giants
Reply With Quote
  #15 (permalink)  
Old 22-May-2008, 09:06 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,799
Default
ABC News: Flawed Soyuz Landing Caused by Failed Separation of Module, Russian Official Says

Quote:
Alexei Krasnov, who heads Russia's manned space program, said after the Soyuz's separation from the space station, the equipment bay module was supposed to detach, allowing the capsule to enter the atmosphere and descend to Earth smoothly.
That did not happen, he said, and the Soyuz went into a "ballistic" descent.
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0....
Reply With Quote
Reply

« Mars aerobraking concept question | A Discussion of a Mars Cycler Transit System »

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Linear Mode

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The energy machine of Joseph Newman banquo's_bumble_puppy Off-Topic Babbling 179 12-December-2007 11:01 PM
Transcript: Nancy On Lou Gentile (LONG) John Jones Against the Mainstream 15 15-June-2003 02:20 PM
This is a joke right skywatcher Against the Mainstream 46 08-June-2003 04:00 AM
chuckle benefit #2 Bloopers of the Astro kind ;) dzephyr Against the Mainstream 2 11-May-2003 04:12 AM
Cities on the moon! n810 Conspiracy Theories 141 16-October-2002 07:37 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 07:04 AM.

Contact Us - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum - Archive - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.0.0
©  2006 Bad Astronomy and Universe Today