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Author
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Topic: Damage to LC39 after shuttle launches
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ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-19-2008 10:41 AM
   
Hi, I was just wondering what type of damage occurs at LC 39 after every launch. I would love to know.Many thanks
Gareth PS Are there any pictures? |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 02-20-2008 12:00 AM
Not too much as they developed the things to keep the main hardware such as the umbilicals and swing arms protected. The tail service masts pull in the aft orbiter fuelling umbilicals into them within a second after the pull away from the orbiter and the gaseous hydrogen vent line also retracts within about two seconds after it gets pulled away from the ET. The tower structure gets deluged by rain birds and so does the mobile launch platform and this helps to cool any hotspots, in addition to dampening the acostics of the sound waves coming off the shuttle's rockets. I also believe I read somewhere that areas inside the MLP are tanked up with nitrogen for fire suppression prior to a launch as well, but I haven't been able to confirm that.About the only real concern for the first couple hours after liftoff is a toxic sulfuric acid cloud around the pad and that is generated by the SRB booster plumes. It has to dissipate before technicians can be let back onto the pad. The acid fumes are corrosive, but I imagine the paint on the pad does a pretty good job of corrosion control. Most of the critical pad hardware has been beefed up to make it more durable for launches and it has been this way since the pads were converted to shuttle service as the plan was to support up to 12 launches a year (six from each pad presumeably). As for footage, after each launch, NASA TV does tend to run black and white footage from the pad cameras, focusing on spots such as the tail service masts and the swing arms to see if they separated cleanly when required and to see if any debris fell off the orbiter. That is about all that really gets out for public consumption though. Inspection teams do check the pads out pretty thoroughly after each flight, but any pictures of what they find tend to be kept in internal memos and don't get out unless something happens to a shuttle (like STS-107 or STS-51L). |
wizardofeyes
Member Posts: 11
From: Auburn, NY 13021
Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 03-11-2008 09:11 PM
I watched the STS-123 launch this AM, and it seemed that they had a dearth of live video from the vehicle which is usually presented on NASA TV. With nothing else to broadcast, there were some brief medium long shots of the now empty tower. There appeared to be a number of (presumably remote operated) firehose type sprays being played over the structure. With the blast furnace heat of the launch and clouds of flame from the vehicle passing a few yards away from the tower structure, I wonder how much damage is sustained by the tower during a routine launch. Does the paint peel off, do cables melt? Does the white room, open to the air, with its nylon carpeting and filmy curtains get reduced to a cinder and have to be rebuilt for each launch? Thanks in advance to anyone who may have actually been there. Dave |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-12-2008 01:13 AM
quote:
Originally posted by wizardofeyes:
With nothing else to broadcast, there were some brief medium long shots of the now empty tower. There appeared to be a number of (presumably remote operated) firehose type sprays being played over the structure.
I've seen those too...Good question: are those meant to cool down the launch pad and/or wash away any toxic residue from the SRBs exhaust? Chris. | |
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