|
Author
|
Topic: Payload bay doors opening during launch
|
ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
|
posted 04-14-2009 02:59 AM
   
I had a crazy dream last night that during launch the payload bay doors opened as in some kind of a latch failure early in the flight before the SRBs has separated. I was just wondering what would happen if this were to occur. Would there be a direct abort or would they let them continue and try a to close them when they got up there?Gareth |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
|
posted 04-14-2009 03:26 AM
I'm afraid this would be an unsurvivable event with the loss of both vehicle and crew, particularly during the initial - densier atmosphere - portion of the powered flight where aerodynamic forces are biggest and would break the vehicle apart. I'm not an expert in aerodynamics hence I'm not 100% sure but I tink I'm close to the correct answer. |
Henk Boshuijer
Member Posts: 450
From: Netherlands
Registered: May 2007
|
posted 04-14-2009 05:44 AM
Do astronauts train for such an event to happen. Do they have some procedures for this? If the event is unsurvivable maybe making plans for procedures are a waist of time. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
|
posted 04-14-2009 07:29 AM
This reminds me of an STS-1 preflight press conference, where the crew was asked what would happen if they ejected during launch. Young's answer: "Then the vehicle would be without a crew".  Ed |
Mr Meek
Member Posts: 353
From: Chattanooga, TN
Registered: Dec 2007
|
posted 04-14-2009 08:42 AM
The HSF Shuttle Reference has a detailed description of the doors and their latching mechanisms. There are 32 total latches (8 fore, 16 centerline, 8 aft), ganged into groups of 4. These latches are controlled via AC motors, and are not just a "zipper" of mechanical interlinks. I just don't think that it's likely that either A) Enough latches open up, allowing airflow under the doors to push them open or B) The opening mechanism generates enough torque to push the doors against the airflow around the shuttle during the early stages of launch. I'm sure someone here has a better understanding than my armchair aerodynamics, but a failure like this just doesn't seem likely. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
|
posted 04-14-2009 05:49 PM
Remember that the doors cannot support themselves in 1G. Also the controls are back by the RMS control area so they are way out of reach for someone during launch. |
ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
|
posted 04-15-2009 05:09 AM
I know this is pretty unlikely but whoever thought it would be foam that would doom Columbia? |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
|
posted 04-15-2009 05:55 AM
Absolutely. I still remember Ron Dittemore coming to the press conference shortly after the Columbia disaster bringing a bigger piece of foam with him and saying he simply can't imagine this could cause the tragedy. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
|
posted 04-15-2009 08:22 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Meek:
...I just don't think that it's likely that either A) Enough latches open up, allowing airflow under the doors to push them open or B) The opening mechanism generates enough torque to push the doors against the airflow around the shuttle during the early stages of launch.I'm sure someone here has a better understanding than my armchair aerodynamics, but a failure like this just doesn't seem likely.
One assumes that NASA learned valuable lessons from analyzing the airflow and design problems that caused Skylab's shielding to come off during ascent to orbit. |
advertisement