rb5d+@andrew.cmu.edu (Robert Bates) (11/29/89)
From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) : > KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 21, 1989 > STS-33 - (OV 103) - PAD 39-B - LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY > > Today, the orbiter's communications system will be > activated, the navigation systems will be tested and the flight > crew seats will be installed in the flight and mid decks. Why do they wait until one day before launch to install seats? Why aren't they attached more or less permanently like flight crew seats in aircraft? --RC Bates RB5d@Andrew.CMU.Edu
steve@goofy.nm.paradyne.com (Steve Fowler) (11/29/89)
In article <wZQjNdy00WBKQ0oJB9@andrew.cmu.edu> rb5d+@andrew.cmu.edu (Robert Bates) writes: >From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) : >> KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 21, 1989 >> STS-33 - (OV 103) - PAD 39-B - LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY >> crew seats will be installed in the flight and mid decks. > >Why do they wait until one day before launch to install seats? Why aren't >they attached more or less permanently like flight crew seats in aircraft? > >--RC Bates > RB5d@Andrew.CMU.Edu I would suspect that this is done to allow the pad crew easy movement inside the vehicle. It is easy to move around while the vehicle is in orbit, but, while on the ground in a vertical position, it is hard for the ground crew to move around. Ground access is necessary to load experiments, food, equipment, check out parts, etc. Steve Fowler \ _ / |UUCP: ..!{uunet|att}!pdn!steve -=-- AT&T/Paradyne ~o.O~ |DOMAIN: steve@pdn.paradyne.com -===-- P.O. Box 2826 (_|_) |LAND: (813)530-2186 --=--- AT&T Largo, FL 34649-2826 / U |SEA: 27 53 30 N / 82 45 30 W ---- Paradyne
phil@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (William LeFebvre) (11/30/89)
In article <6781@pdn.paradyne.com> steve@goofy.paradyne.com (Steve Fowler) writes: >In article <wZQjNdy00WBKQ0oJB9@andrew.cmu.edu> rb5d+@andrew.cmu.edu (Robert Bates) writes: >>From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) : >>> KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 21, 1989 >>> STS-33 - (OV 103) - PAD 39-B - LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY >>> crew seats will be installed in the flight and mid decks. >> >>Why do they wait until one day before launch to install seats? > >I would suspect that this is done to allow the pad crew easy movement >inside the vehicle. It is easy to move around while the vehicle is in >orbit, but... The seats for the commander and pilot are permanently mounted in the vehicle. But the mission and payload specialists sit in chairs that are not permanent (two on the flight deck and three on the middeck). Once the vehicle is on orbit, the chairs are removed and stowed Reinstalling the chairs is part of the deorbit preparations. This also explains why you only see two chairs in the video that they send down. I'm virtually positive that it is these chairs that the press release is referring to. William LeFebvre Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Northwestern University <phil@eecs.nwu.edu>
mac@idacrd.UUCP (Robert McGwier) (12/01/89)
From article <wZQjNdy00WBKQ0oJB9@andrew.cmu.edu>, by rb5d+@andrew.cmu.edu (Robert Bates): > > From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) : >> KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 21, 1989 >> STS-33 - (OV 103) - PAD 39-B - LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY >> >> Today, the orbiter's communications system will be >> activated, the navigation systems will be tested and the flight >> crew seats will be installed in the flight and mid decks. > > Why do they wait until one day before launch to install seats? Why aren't > they attached more or less permanently like flight crew seats in aircraft? > One word explains that. MASS. They always try to minimize the mass to orbit. Calculate how much energy must be expended sending an empty seat to orbit and you can imagine the anger of (say) some scientist who has been told his 100 Kg experiment can't be flown because that 500 Kg of empty seats are in the shuttle. Bob -- ____________________________________________________________________________ My opinions are my own no matter | Robert W. McGwier, N4HY who I work for! ;-) | CCR, AMSAT, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------