Space and Science BS Thread

Unless you use a block and tackle...

 

https://twitter.com/liebherr/status/1403339662391869443?s=21

Timely

 

Speaking of cranes, NASA is loading the SLS onto the crawler yesterday/today/tomorrow time frame.

The SRBs are already standing.

They might actually launch before the end of this year.

 

The problem is not lifting the load, it's controlling it once it is in the air. The longer the cable, the more the load is going to sway everytime you move it. And the crane is using a block and tackle aka jib, and it's big. https://youtu.be/DtSCwYRMq7c?t=101

 

During WW II Germany had three huge barge cranes. I believe the still rank as the largest built. After the war England, Russia and the US each took one.

The Russian crane was moved and never seen again. The English tried to move it across the channel and it sank. The US disassembled there’s shipped it to Los Angeles and reassembled it.

The story was they were intentionally not bombed with an eye towards taking them as war reparations.

Nicknamed “Herman the German” it was an amazing piece of engineering. It was operated by the USN until they stupidly decided the operating cost was too high. It was given to Panama.

In the late 70’s it was used to set and lower the derrick on the Glomar Explorer three times. I was working at the shipyard for the last two times.

Watching it work was amazing. Lifts were engineered. Everything you can think of was considered including not only the height of the tide but its change during the lift.

I imagine it took months to plan that lift display from the video.

 

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1403448778473066500?s=21


Why isn’t going to KSC 39A? Oh yeah, they leased the rights…

 

there's no need to be sorry. We're all learning here.

 

39A is set up for RP1 and Lox as propellant for X obviously. 39B is almost done with the largest Lh2 storage tank in the world. Artemis I requires more Lh2 than any rocket before and is still bringing that secondary tank inline so when they inevitably scrub, they can turn around in 24 hours and send it since Lh2 comes from Louisiana.

 

https://twitter.com/boeingspace/status/1403834511343951878?s=21

Looks like they’re serious

 

<snark deleted>

It'd be nice to see their hardware fly.

 

It’ll bring tears to my eyes…

Spoiler: For dramatic effect

They’re throwing away 4 reusable engine.

 

Not to worry - there are 16 more, ready to go.

Unfortunately, if they every fly, I'm sure they will go swimming as well.

 

Seems like a waste of good raw material and adds to ocean pollution...

 

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1404091477945430018?s=21

I wonder where the SCE switch is

 

Not to mention, but parts of the engines were redesigned to make them easier to refurb after a flight.

 

Who did they redesign them for? Atlanteans?

 

The idea was to collect the core stage and refurb it and the engines.

This was done 5+ years ago. Back then, the first SLS flight was going to be in 2017, then 2018, etc. The flight manifest had something like 10 flights in 8 years, moon landing by 2024, etc.

It was a good idea that hasn't come to fruition.

 

Maybe they still will?

 

The word pollution is thrown around too much. In a couple of years these engines will be so covered in sea life you probably won't be able to recognize them. It will be a waste of raw materials. I'd say it'd be a waste of man hours building it, but if they did recover it they would probably spend as much if not more man hours tearing it down and rebuilding it after every flight.

It was an idea. Not sure on the good part. Honestly i think they had a rocket designed, and with the work others were doing they have to find a way to insert the word "reusable" in there to justify their funding to inquiring minds. That's my biggest gripe with NASA. They have this once started, we have to finish, no matter how much extra it costs mentality. Private companies are more willing to cut their losses and move on. Like Spacex and propulsively landing dragon. Sometimes you just got to say "this would have been great 15-20 years ago, now there are better options"

On the flip side of that coin you have entities that have announced big plans that don't seem to be investing any capital into development like Blue Origin and China. It's almost as if they're waiting for someone else to figure out the hard parts and then they're just going to steal data and knowledgeable employees...