Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour • Hacker News Board

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#21

Post by jspthrowaway » Sun, Oct 07, 2012, 9:18 PM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #14

ddbeck wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to note that the shuttle fleet received a "glass cockpit" upgrade (around 1997-1998), replacing many mechanical indicators with multi-function displays. Here's a link to a (small) side-by-side comparison: http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/ihi/research_groups/isis/M... Prior to the upgrade, the space shuttle looked dated compared to commercial airliners flying at the time. It's debatable whether the shuttles…

Couple of years ago flew on an MD-80/DC-10 that had what looked like the original 1970's-era instrumentation. It did look pretty ancient. Wonder how many pilots are even qualified to fly on that, or if the qualifications are different. The same plane was leaking fuel out of the wing throughout the flight. Not really confidence-inspiring.

There's a few parts of that anecdote which confuse me as a pilot. The first one is two vastly different aircraft separated by a slash as if to indicate that they are equivalent. The second is an air crew that completed a flight, while leaking fuel, without declaring emergency and putting it down. Lastly, someone actually observing fuel leaking from the aircraft and thinking "meh, it's just old," rather than alerting the air crew.

(Put another way, I have doubts that you were observing a fuel leak. Those are generally pretty easy to notice -- "why are we consuming two thousand extra pounds of fuel per hour?")

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#22

Post by raldi » Sun, Oct 07, 2012, 11:04 PM UTC

What's with the blue "ENDEAVOUR" sign in the last photos? Is that to avoid embarrassing "Oh dear, I appear to be boarding the wrong shuttle" moments?

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#23

Post by wmeredith » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 12:09 AM UTC

phreeza wrote: post #4

Those seats look exceptionally uncomfortable, I wonder if there is a reason for that?

They're meant to hold people in space suits, not flimsy clothing.

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#24

Post by CrankyPants » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 3:12 AM UTC

jspthrowaway wrote: post #21

ams6110 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couple of years ago flew on an MD-80/DC-10 that had what looked like the original 1970's-era instrumentation. It did look pretty ancient. Wonder how many pilots are even qualified to fly on that, or if the qualifications are different. The same plane was leaking fuel out of the wing throughout the flight. Not really confidence-inspiring.

There's a few parts of that anecdote which confuse me as a pilot. The first one is two vastly different aircraft separated by a slash as if to indicate that they are equivalent. The second is an air crew that completed a flight, while leaking fuel, without declaring emergency and putting it down. Lastly, someone actually observing fuel leaking from the aircraft and thinking "meh, it's just old," rather than alerting…

Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story, unless you can't think of anything better.

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#25

Post by CrankyPants » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 3:17 AM UTC

jlgreco wrote: post #20

Did they sit in these seats during takeoff? And if so, how did they climb into those seats while the Shuttle was vertical on the launch pad?

The entire thing is planned, practiced, and executed, with the help of a team of specialists (some of whom are also astronauts): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/flyoutcapec...

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#26

Post by retube » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 8:01 AM UTC

Nice pics but the fish-eye ruins it for me. The distortion is very distracting.

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#27

Post by coderdude » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 11:32 AM UTC

jonursenbach wrote: post #11

Back in 1996 I was part of the first class as the, now closed, Mountain View Space Camp. I was 11. When time came for the shuttle simulations, I volunteered to be pilot. After a quick 10 minute tutorial over what every button did in the deck we were off. We were able to get out into orbit with the help of Mission Control, but on the way back it was just us in the deck. We burned up on re-entry.

I also went to the Mountain View Space Camp in 1996 or 1997. It was the most amazing experience for a young space enthusiast. I was able to convince my dad to shell out the money for a flight suit, which I wore every single day while I was there. :)

The absolute highlight of the trip was being pilot on the simulated Space Shuttle mission. For anyone who hasn't seen it, their replica of the front end of the Space Shuttle was 1:1 or nearly 1:1. It felt like I imagined it would feel like being in the real thing. Being 12 never felt so good.

I still have my flight suit, patches, and the big book you got at the end.

Edit: Some other fun things I remember about Space Camp: "Buzz" Aldrin spoke at our graduation ceremony (though Wikipedia doesn't seem to know this). We got to try an MMU (manned maneuvering unit). We learned about hydroponics and growing plants out of soil. There were even rumors spreading around camp that some boys were sneaking into the girls' dorms at night. It was truly a nerdy 12-year-old boy's dream come true.

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#28

Post by jonursenbach » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 2:32 PM UTC

coderdude wrote: post #27

jonursenbach wrote: post #11

Back in 1996 I was part of the first class as the, now closed, Mountain View Space Camp. I was 11. When time came for the shuttle simulations, I volunteered to be pilot. After a quick 10 minute tutorial over what every button did in the deck we were off. We were able to get out into orbit with the help of Mission Control, but on the way back it was just us in the deck. We burned up on re-entry.

I also went to the Mountain View Space Camp in 1996 or 1997. It was the most amazing experience for a young space enthusiast. I was able to convince my dad to shell out the money for a flight suit, which I wore every single day while I was there. :) The absolute highlight of the trip was being pilot on the simulated Space Shuttle mission. For anyone who hasn't seen it, their replica of the front end of the Space Shut…

It was pretty awesome. Really sad that it's no longer around.

Re: Flight Deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

#29

Post by runjake » Mon, Oct 08, 2012, 5:59 PM UTC

Does anyone happen to know the contractors involved with the primary computers in the Shuttles? I was told they used a newer iteration of the Boeing ACUs similar to what used to be in the B-52Hs for their Offensive Avionics System. Did they sit on a MIL-STD-1553 bus variant? Any truth to that?