iiit-sh@cybaswan.UUCP (Steve Hosgood) (05/15/89)
In article <1989May11.203336.1395@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >.....the thing [0G toilet for the shuttle] had to be tested in >free fall before being flown for the first time, and that meant doing it >in the KC-135, with only about 30 seconds of free fall available? >......Turns out that there are people with the slightly >unusual, um, ability required... >-- I would *love* to have seen the expression on the tester's face had the pilot of the KC-135 had the sense of humour (?) to have rolled the plane quietly during the dive. The effect would only be noticed when the plane levelled out inverted.... Steve.
mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mike Smithwick) (05/23/89)
>In article <1989May11.203336.1395@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >.....the thing [0G toilet for the shuttle] had to be tested in >free fall before being flown for the first time, and that meant doing it >in the KC-135, with only about 30 seconds of free fall available? >......Turns out that there are people with the slightly >unusual, um, ability required... >-- I heard this story about the design process of the shuttle potties. . . It seems that they were able to recruit some non-bashful army nurses to aid in the testing process aboard the KC-135. In order to collect data, they outfitted the, ahem, "testing facility" with cameras to observe the sequence of events. I wonder if they gave the nurses copies of the videotapes for souveniers? (I have a great videotape of Jack Lousma giving a tour onboard the Skylab, showing off their "one-holer") *** mike (still looking for a publisher) smithwick *** "Oh, I'm just a NOP in the instruction set of life, oh, ohhhh, hmmmmm" [disclaimer : nope, I don't work for NASA, I take full blame for my ideas]