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Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

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Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#21

Post by DanBC »

jrockway wrote: post #17
regularfry wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From your second link: On February 2, warning lights on a radiation warning system failed due to previous software modifications to the fail-safe system. It was discovered that no records of the revisions to the software were ever required or maintained, so the direct cause of the malfunction was unclear. I have no words.

You're surprised that people write buggy software without discipline?

I'm gently surprised that people write buggy software without discipline when they're dealing with something that can kill many people.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#23

Post by DanBC »

jstanley wrote: post #7
dangrossman wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are other photos by other photographers of these same rooms -- http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/04/dismantling-the-s... Edit: Same room at the other launch pad, 39A vs 39B. Both had identical blast rooms per the article.

Looking at those just makes me even more suspicious. Compare http://scriptunasimages.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/wscriptu... to http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/shuttle041311/s_d1... Perhaps things were repainted, but then why does the handle on the door work in the opposite direction? EDIT: Also, the "emergency egress route" has changed direction? In the Atlantic image, it is pointing "up" the door, indicat…

Those are different doors.

Thus, one one door the emergency egress is "open this door and keep going" and on the other is "go left, through this door which is already open".

As for the door locking or opening by spinning the wheel in different directions - one is inside the room looking out, and the other is outside the room looking in.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#24

Post by ISL »

guyzero wrote: post #13

It's still not clear to me at all why the first room is rubberized. There's an escape slide, a rubber room and the actual chamber that's blast-proof. Why does the middle room need to be rubberized?

From the article: "I quickly noticed how the room got it name as the walls and floor are completely covered in rubber over a soft cushion that was meant to absorb the blast."

The seats in the room also have seat belts. Looks like the room's designers expected a violent experience.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#25

Post by guyzero »

ISL wrote: post #24
guyzero wrote: post #13

It's still not clear to me at all why the first room is rubberized. There's an escape slide, a rubber room and the actual chamber that's blast-proof. Why does the middle room need to be rubberized?

From the article: "I quickly noticed how the room got it name as the walls and floor are completely covered in rubber over a soft cushion that was meant to absorb the blast." The seats in the room also have seat belts. Looks like the room's designers expected a violent experience.

So I am not being facetious when I say I don't understand I I guess your comment makes sense, but honestly... I still don't understand. The rocket explodes, a massive shockwave of expanding gas gets pushed down the chute into the middle room. The actual protected room has a vault-like door, is on springs, has massive padded chairs with seatbelts. That I get. But how does rubberizing the middle room help? How much of the shockwave can it possibly absorb?

I'm not rhetorically trying to say it's useless. I'm perfectly happy to admit that NASA's engineers have a better grasp of this situation than I do. I just don't get how it helps.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#26

Post by njharman »

chiph wrote: post #20
scott_usa wrote: post #12

2min youtube film from Saturn V days -reporter takes the slide. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx2BobKku-c

That's James Burke, in the years before he created his excellent "Connections" and "The Day The Universe Changed" series. Highly recommended - I watched every episode when they came out starting in the late 1970s.

Should have known that guy was awesome before Connections.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#28

Post by redwood »

guyzero wrote: post #25
ISL wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article: "I quickly noticed how the room got it name as the walls and floor are completely covered in rubber over a soft cushion that was meant to absorb the blast." The seats in the room also have seat belts. Looks like the room's designers expected a violent experience.

So I am not being facetious when I say I don't understand I I guess your comment makes sense, but honestly... I still don't understand. The rocket explodes, a massive shockwave of expanding gas gets pushed down the chute into the middle room. The actual protected room has a vault-like door, is on springs, has massive padded chairs with seatbelts. That I get. But how does rubberizing the middle room help? How much of…

I couldn't agree more... it's wholly unclear what the purpose of the rubber is. Presumably it protects against vibration eh

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#29

Post by kghose »

guyzero wrote: post #25
ISL wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article: "I quickly noticed how the room got it name as the walls and floor are completely covered in rubber over a soft cushion that was meant to absorb the blast." The seats in the room also have seat belts. Looks like the room's designers expected a violent experience.

So I am not being facetious when I say I don't understand I I guess your comment makes sense, but honestly... I still don't understand. The rocket explodes, a massive shockwave of expanding gas gets pushed down the chute into the middle room. The actual protected room has a vault-like door, is on springs, has massive padded chairs with seatbelts. That I get. But how does rubberizing the middle room help? How much of…

Perhaps this is for the safety of the occupants. If they get thrown out of their harness they don't bang against a metal/concrete wall but a little softer material. Though why this is not even softer material I don't understand.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#30

Post by URSpider94 »

shabble wrote: post #5

I think this is the end part of the "Emergency Egress System" which included a slide-wire basket from the top of the vehicle support structure/gantry. Some of the images at http://history.nasa.gov/ap10fj/as10-image-library.htm do look a lot like the arched solid concrete room entrances, and there are a few of the wire system as well. I recall (on HN I think) a while back there was an article about the slide part of t…

No, not exactly. The author points that out in the piece. The zip-line is a later addition that takes you some distance away from the launch pad. The "rubber room" and blast room are, literally, directly underneath the rocket.
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