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Author
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Topic: Space shuttle rescue prior to STS-107 (pre-RCO)
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Max Q
Member Posts: 399
From: Whyalla South Australia
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 07-16-2011 12:03 AM
   
I have been wondering what, if any, rescue options there have been for shuttle crews if for some reason the orbiter was unable to safely return to earth.Also assuming the crew was able to be rescued what would NASA have done with the orbiter prior to the modifications that allowed for remote or pilot-less landing? |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-16-2011 07:54 PM
There existed the personal rescue spheres. In theory, a shuttle with at least two astronauts would lift off, rendezvous with the disabled shuttle, and one of the crew would EVA to the disabled shuttle and haul astronauts one by one in one of the spheres to the good shuttle. Not sure how long they continued rescue sphere training. |
Max Q
Member Posts: 399
From: Whyalla South Australia
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 07-17-2011 05:28 AM
Thanks Hart brings about another questionHow long would it have taken NASA to get the second orbiter on station for this? Unless I'm mistaken prior to STS-114 they didn't have a Launch on Need shuttle prepared. |
brianjbradley
Member Posts: 114
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 07-17-2011 11:04 AM
Probably not long. -114 was scheduled to launch March 1 and processing to launch Discovery was well under way at the time -107 flew. By the time -107 flew, it might have already been in the VAB (I think) to head out to the pad. |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 2331
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 07-17-2011 01:09 PM
I wonder if they would have done the "Apollo 13 - here's what we got, let's fix it" thing. Like this photo.But of course they would have had to look and see if there was a hole in the first place. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 07-17-2011 02:19 PM
What could have happened was in the CAIB Report. I want to think that Atlantis had already been mated to the stack for STS-114 when Columbia launched on 107. They would have had to do a big power down even with the EDO kit that was on Columbia for 107. |
ea757grrl
Member Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 07-17-2011 02:40 PM
This is based on a quick look in "Comm Check" by Harwood and Cabbage, and I believe the CAIB report goes into detail on rescue scenarios. Anyway, based on this quick look, here's my understanding:The consumables aboard Columbia could have lasted until Feb. 15 had they minimized power usage and kept activity to a minimum; the limiting factor was lithium hydroxide. A NASA team concluded that had the damage to Columbia been confirmed early in the mission, the processing of Atlantis could have been accelerated with the earliest launch date being Feb. 10. Had it worked out and had Columbia's crew been rescued, the last two astronauts out of Columbia would have configured her for de-orbit controlled from Houston. The consensus was that Columbia herself probably could not have been recovered, so she would likely have been ditched over the ocean (presumably the Pacific). |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 07-17-2011 11:01 PM
This brings up an question, who would have flown Atlantis on the rescue flight? STS-114 was training about a month from launch. Collins had done CDRed at docking flight only been the PLT on her two Mir flights. STS-113 had been home for about 2 months by that time. So which crew would get the flight? We can go with what we have on the books now. |
Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 07-18-2011 08:07 PM
If Columbia's crew had been rescued by Atlantis how long could an abandoned and powered down Columbia have remained in orbit until a mission to repair her wing could have been sent up? Could such a mission have been able to re-power her up and fly her home? |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-18-2011 09:50 PM
quote:
Originally posted by OV-105:
This brings up an question, who would have flown Atlantis on the rescue flight?
Why not Wetherbee as CDR and Collins as PLT? Both were on STS-63, the near-Mir flight, and Wetherbee on STS-113 had docked with ISS and done a crew exchange.After that, I would have called on Jerry Ross as MS for his EVA experience, most recently on 110. He also flew on the seat behind and between the CDR and PLT on three of his flights. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 07-19-2011 01:54 PM
I can't see Collins or any CDR going back over to the right seat on a short notice. They have been out of the loop on that side for a long time. I think you would want someone fresh off a flight or who is training for a flight that is almost ready to fly. I would bet anyone in the Astronaut Office would fly the flight if asked and not think twice about it. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-19-2011 04:40 PM
No offense to Ferguson, Oefelein or Poindexter, but I can't see them as PLT for a hypothetical 107 rescue (both flew for the first time on 115, 116, and 122 - Poindexter was scheduled for 120 - respectively.) Maybe Polansky as PLT, his position on the original 117 before he got moved up to CDR on 116, or Kelly, the original 119 PLT? And keep Collins and her 114 crew as the Return to Flight? |
brianjbradley
Member Posts: 114
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 07-19-2011 11:30 PM
If I recall correctly, when they posted rescue crews before -107, the crews were manned by the flight deck crew from the flight preceding the mission in trouble. So if the ground went into rescue mode for -107, I think the rescue crew would have been Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington (who funny enough - was almost assigned to -107). They would be pretty well trained for rescue with plenty of rendezvous, arm and EVA experience. |
Max Q
Member Posts: 399
From: Whyalla South Australia
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 07-20-2011 12:17 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Paul78zephyr:
Could such a mission have been able to re-power her up and fly her home?
I wonder how secure such an on station repair would be and how feasible/expensive it would have been to rig the Orbiter for full remote landing. Considering how expensive an orbiter is, salvage would have to be thought about. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-20-2011 11:29 AM
Dennis Jenkins' book (at least, one of them) mentions that Rockwell had studied developing an automated orbiter kit (otherwise known as A-OK) with Columbia as the most likely orbiter to get the kit if it was authorized to proceed. |
Mr Meek
Member Posts: 353
From: Chattanooga, TN
Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 07-21-2011 07:08 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
Not sure how long they continued rescue sphere training.
According to a couple of informal conversations with astronauts that I've had the pleasure of speaking with, the rescue spheres were still used as late as 1999/2000. One astro referred to their use as part of the psych evaluation. Whether or not they were still considered as an valid potential rescue option was unclear, but the hardware itself was still in use during the selection of "The Bugs". |
Max Q
Member Posts: 399
From: Whyalla South Australia
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 07-21-2011 07:16 AM
Are there any pictures or diagrams of these spheres? I can't imagine what they are. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 07-21-2011 07:52 AM
You can do a web search on "Personal Rescue Enclosure" and see some articles about them. They look like the ultimate claustrophobic nightmare to me! I suppose it's better than dying, but not by much. |
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