A wayward knob from a work light may force NASA to retire shuttle Atlantis

[PhotonBoy]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009...tlantis-threatens-six-month-delay-to-sts-129/

"Meetings have been taking place on Wednesday into evaluating damage to the pressure pane on Atlantis' number 5 window, after a work light knob was observed to be embedded between the pane and the dashboard panel. The damage can only be fully assessed once the knob is removed, with the threat of a six month schedule impact to STS-129 noted, should the damage prove to be unacceptable for flight....

Even if Atlantis was retired as a result of a half year-plus processing hit - one absolute worst case scenario noted by one engineer on Wednesday - two orbiters could complete the manifest. However, due to LON (Launch On Need) requirements, a manifest stretch deep into 2011 would be the fallout."

 

[MarNav1]

NASA- Never a straight answer.

 

[jzmtl]

Well, that's a pretty long way to say a knob got wedged and they don't know if they can remove it without damage.

 

[StarHalo]

So there's no provision in the design where the dash meets the window to keep crap from rolling down between them? Like those older trucks you see where trash is trapped between the top of the dash and the windshield.. :shakehead

 

[roguesw]

So there's no provision in the design where the dash meets the window to keep crap from rolling down between them? Like those older trucks you see where trash is trapped between the top of the dash and the windshield.. :shakehead

You gotta keep in mind that the shuttle was designed in the 70s, and it has never been upgraded.

 

[Burgess]

C'mon, guys,

this isn't Rocket Science !







Ummm, nevermind




-

 

[PhotonBoy]

Murphy says that the knob should be designed with a tether on it, much like the plug for a sink.

 

[Marduke]

You gotta keep in mind that the shuttle was designed in the 70s, and it has never been upgraded.

Actually they were all upgraded.

 

[Vinniec5]

Shuttle techs in lockerroom " Hey Larry now we know why we needed the sledgehammer & 50 ton portapower to gently massage the window frame into place against the dash." See I told you calling Primitive Pete over to help us was stupid, now who's gonna admit they're missing a knob

 

[65535]

This just proves that the rocket scientists that got us into space and built the shuttles and rockets are now dead.

How hard is it to remove a window or dash-panel?

It's NASA, they should be able to figure out how to get a knob out of a pinch.

 

[The Dane]

So there's no provision in the design where the dash meets the window to keep crap from rolling down between them? Like those older trucks you see where trash is trapped between the top of the dash and the windshield.. :shakehead

Exept this Freightliner gets turned nose up and shaken badly for 8½ min. followed by a weeks worth of zero gravity, ever so often. So my best bet is that nothing much gets "lost" there!

 

[Marduke]

How hard is it to remove a window or dash-panel?

In this case, extremely.

 

[LukeA]

I'm not sure why they're beating around the bush. The pane is damaged. It's going to be replaced before the next flight. But I suppose nobody wants to be the bearer of the bad news that the flight schedule will be delayed.

But if there's something valuable that we can take away from this event, it's this: the work light was LED.

 

[ledlurker]

The company that made the main forward cockpit glass went out of business over 20 years ago. The spare set of "glass" that was in the inventory was used on Endeavor that was built in the late 80's and early 90's. They have to be really really really careful, because if the crack or break them then they are really really screwed until they can certify a contractor to make a replacement for only a year or two of replacement. I personally worked on those vehicles and some times we would take parts from one shuttle that was under a long refurbishment and use in on the flight vehicles until the the defective hardware could be repaired or replaced. NASA had planned to build more shuttles but budget cuts forced them to stop at 4 and then have the spares to maintain them for only 10 years. Well, Challenger was lost and the decision was made to go ahead and build another to bring it up to four. Meanwhile the fleet life was extended and spare where used up. Many suppliers just do not exist any more. Sometime the knowledge just to build some explosives died with the cranky old man that mixed it up in his shop on his back 40. But the biggest factor was budget. In the early to mid 90's when on average you spent only about 10% of your budget on hardware development and procurement and the rest was spent on overhead for people expenses. This caused the salary squeeze which in the end would cause a recent graduate to turn down a Job with a NASA contractor for $30,000 and accept a position in oil/gas industries or electronics or what not for $50,000 only 10 miles away.

NASA/Contractors have called me out of the blue to help them with various issues because of the brain drain and aging workforce. I would gladly work for a 40% paycut if they would allow me to telecommute. But contractors have silly requirements imposed on them that the physical (ie. electronic is not good enough) time sheet must be available for audit at any time and that I must update it a minimum twice a day and that that physical time sheet must be at a physical location just in case an auditor wants to check it.

That is plain crazy but not suprising considering its the government. I can telecommute if I become a Civil Servant but not if I am a contractor.

 

[Burgess]

Interesting info, LedLurker --


Oh, and i really like yer' sigline.




_

 

[Marduke]

But contractors have silly requirements imposed on them that the physical (ie. electronic is not good enough) time sheet must be available for audit at any time and that I must update it a minimum twice a day and that that physical time sheet must be at a physical location just in case an auditor wants to check it.

That is plain crazy but not suprising considering its the government. I can telecommute if I become a Civil Servant but not if I am a contractor.

That's interesting, because all timesheets at MSFC for contractors are 100% electronic via the web.

I believe it is the same way at JSC.

But then again, it may depends on which contract you are working off of.

When is the last time you checked?

 

[LuxLuthor]

They should just quit pretending they have the expertise and technicians, and have China fix it since they are making everything we use now.

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

That's pretty funny, pretty sad, and from my own simple consumer experience, pretty true.

 

[Marduke]

Just an update:

They were able to remove the knob, and are now in process of accessing the damage done.

It took pressurizing the cabin, applying dry ice, and using a little bit of elbow grease.

 

[Illum]

You gotta keep in mind that the shuttle was designed in the 70s, and it has never been upgraded.

I beg to differ, while not externally, the mechanical dashboard and analog meters were all replaced by LCD screens, supposedly the only piece of navigation equipment left in the pilot bay [for sentimental reasons?] was the original gyro. Plus several other physical additions that makes the payload bay much smaller since the time Hubble was launched:wave:

STS1


Now