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Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

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Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#41

Post by gridspy »

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 think this is to avoid that split-second when hard walls would create a concussive shock. That shock would make the door ring like a bell and emit a very loud noise that might deafen the ground crew in their secure room.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#42

Post by seanp2k2 »

[ this was meant as a response to people calling out the image looking weird ]

EXIF of http://scriptunasimages.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/wscriptu... :

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  Model	Canon EOS 5D Mark III
  Date	2012:11:19 09:37:43
  Serial Number	022021008570

  ApertureValue	3.356144
  Artist	Walter Scriptunas II
  CustomRendered	Normal process
  DateTime	2012:11:22 15:39:32
  DateTimeDigitized	2012:11:19 09:37:43
  DateTimeOriginal	2012:11:19 09:37:43
  ExifIFDPointer	354
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  ExposureBias	0 
  ExposureMode	1
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  ImageDescription	This massive blast door would seal off the bunker from all the violence happening outside.
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Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#43

Post by Wingman4l7 »

jrockway wrote: post #36
DanBC wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

This reminds me that I should start asking Therac-25 questions in interviews.

(A classic case study -- a radiation therapy machine that was badly programmed, resulting in several accidents where patients were given massive overdoses of radiation).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therac-25

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#44

Post by regularfry »

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 am surprised that discipline wasn't an externally-applied requirement. Seriously, change management wasn't part of the contract? WTF?

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#45

Post by snogglethorpe »

eddieroger wrote: post #32
guyzero wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

My guess: The room was supported by springs according the article. It also said the blasts rivaled small nuclear explosions. If something that big goes boom right over you, those springs are going to be tested. I assume the rubber helps prevent the room from bottoming out should the springs be insufficient. If anything, I think they didn't know what to expect, so they planned for the worst. Also, that small, 24-hr sa…

According to the article, there actually is a toilet (behind the camera)... and supplies for generating oxygen and filtering air, which suggests it's pretty likely there's a bit of water etc too.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#46

Post by wladimir »

incision wrote: post #33
DanBC wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I have some small experience with this... My impression is that you end up with bad code in critical systems due to the exact same forces as anywhere else. Difference is, rather than ramping up the quality of the development / testing with the seriousness of the application, people tend to ramp up the requirement hair-splitting, ass-covering and accountability obfuscating. Fighting this requires a rare, uncompromisin…

That's my experience too.

In addition to that, there are hardware companies that have always seen software as necessary but uninteresting, thus trying to cut costs on it as much as possible, and not knowing how to set up an environment conductive to good software development (like having non-programmer physicists code in C, or still being stuck using 80's source control tools).

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#47

Post by wlll »

Wingman4l7 wrote: post #43
jrockway wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me that I should start asking Therac-25 questions in interviews.

(A classic case study -- a radiation therapy machine that was badly programmed, resulting in several accidents where patients were given massive overdoses of radiation). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therac-25

This is one of the reasons I opt-out of airport scans. The less I stand in-front of something emitting radiation the less chance there is for a software error to cause me to get a higher dosage than was intended.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#49

Post by keenerd »

jstanley wrote: post #3

I'm not sure if it's the camera or the lighting, but these images all look suspiciously raytraced to me.

It is the camera. Those images all look like they were shot at very low ISO. This means you get absolutely noise-free images at the expense of long shutter times. Architecture is good at holding still for pictures, so it is not much of an issue.

You are used to high quality (but noise and grain free) CG renderings and low quality photographs. Just wait until you see CG that models proper noise.

Re: Inside NASA’s Mysterious Rubber Room

#50

Post by WalterS »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #42

[ this was meant as a response to people calling out the image looking weird ] EXIF of http://scriptunasimages.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/wscriptu... : Make Canon Model Canon EOS 5D Mark III Date 2012:11:19 09:37:43 Serial Number 022021008570 ApertureValue 3.356144 Artist Walter Scriptunas II CustomRendered Normal process DateTime 2012:11:22 15:39:32 DateTimeDigitized 2012:11:19 09:37:43 DateTimeOriginal 2012:11:19…

No clue why people thought these were heavily photoshopped... Most of the photos I had seen of these rooms the photographer had used a flash, I preferred how the natural lighting looked. It added to the eeriness of the place I think.
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