calexand@castor.usc.edu (Craig Alexander) (08/25/88)
Maybe someone out there could answer this question: Is the TDRS satellite loaded on the shuttle while its on the launch pad in the vertical position, or is the shuttle lowered to the surface for payload installation??? Thanks in advance Craig
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (08/28/88)
In article <1271@nunki.usc.edu> calexand@castor.usc.edu (Craig Alexander) writes: > Is the TDRS satellite loaded on the shuttle while its on the >launch pad in the vertical position, or is the shuttle lowered to the >surface for payload installation??? TDRS is loaded in vertically on the pad. The orbiter can't be lowered to the surface except by rolling the whole assembly back to the VAB, where there are cranes capable of handling the orbiter. Some payloads, notably Spacelab, go aboard horizontally before the shuttle is stacked. If I recall correctly, they are the exception rather than the rule. -- Intel CPUs are not defective, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology they just act that way. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre) (08/30/88)
In article <1271@nunki.usc.edu> calexand@castor.usc.edu (Craig Alexander) writes: > Is the TDRS satellite loaded on the shuttle while its on the >launch pad in the vertical position, or is the shuttle lowered to the >surface for payload installation??? > > Thanks in advance > > Craig Vertical. Once the orbiter is attached to the ET/SRB stack, it cannot be "lowered to the surface" (at least, not easily or safely). Some payloads must be loaded horizontally. They are done in the Orbiter Preparation Facility (OPF) before the vehicle is rolled over to the VAB. William LeFebvre Department of Computer Science Rice University <phil@Rice.edu> P.S.: For those who don't know, "VAB" stands for "Very Awesome Building"! :-)
jgk@speech2.cs.cmu.edu (Joe Keane) (08/30/88)
In article <1836@kalliope.rice.edu> phil@Rice.edu (William LeFebvre) writes: >P.S.: For those who don't know, "VAB" stands for >"Very Awesome Building"! :-) So what's the deal with this VAB? How much time and money would it take to build a new one? --Joe --
khai@amara.uucp (S. Khai Mong) (09/09/88)
If the TDRS and some other satellites are installed while the shuttle is at the launching pad, how is cleaniness ensured? Or does it not matter? A bug or a fly trapped inside might very well cause a jam in some delicate mechanical part? -- Sao Khai Mong (uunet|umix)!amara!khai Applied Dynamics International, Inc. khai%amara.uucp@umix.cc.umich.edu 3800 Stone School Road, Ann Arbor U.S.A. (313) 973-1300
phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre) (09/14/88)
In article <KHAI.88Sep9111947@amara.uucp> khai@amara.uucp (S. Khai Mong) writes: > >If the TDRS and some other satellites are installed while the shuttle >is at the launching pad, how is cleaniness ensured? Or does it not >matter? A bug or a fly trapped inside might very well cause a jam in >some delicate mechanical part? They still maintain cleanliness. There is a rotating structure (which probably has a name that I cannot remember) on the pad. When they are doing work on the shuttle, such as installing something in the payload bay, they swing the structure around so that it covers the top of the vehicle. In recent news reports about the launch they have shown an unusual view of Discovery. They have been showing the ET side of the shuttle instead of the view we are more familiar with. The reason is that the swinging structure is in place and you can't see much of the shuttle itself from the other side. I believe that this structure seals onto the top of the vehicle and allows them to open the payoad bay doors while still maintaining a clean environment in the bay. Alternatively, it could be that the TDRS is already sealed in its cradle, and all they do on the pad is place the cradle in the bay. If the cradle is sealed, then the satellite stays clean. But I think that they still try to keep the entire cargo bay as clean as possible. William LeFebvre Department of Computer Science Rice University <phil@Rice.edu>
WYLBB@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Michael Linn) (09/15/88)
Regarding: >If the TDRS and some other satellites are installed while the shuttle >is at the launching pad, how is cleaniness ensured? Or does it not >matter? A bug or a fly trapped inside might very well cause a jam in >some delicate mechanical part? The TDRS (or any other typical payload) is trasported to the launch site inside a special sealed canister which is the same size as the cargo bay. When it arrives, the following occurs: The canister is hoisted (vertically) and mated with the Payload Change-Out Room (PCR) on the Rotating Service Structure (RSS). The edges of the PCR that contact the canister are sealed. The PCR is cleaned. The canister is opened and its contents removed into the PCR. The doors of the PCR are closed, and the canister is removed. The RSS is rotated to mate with the cargo bay of the orbiter vehicle. The edges of the PCR that contact the vehicle are sealed. The PCR area between its own doors and the vehicle are cleaned. The doors of the PCR and of the shuttle cargo bay are opened. The cargo is transferred into the cargo bay. The doors of the PCR and shuttle cargo bay are closed. The RSS is backed away from the vehicle.