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Canadarm2 May Get Arthroscopic Surgery
Soft writes: "Atlantis' rainsoaked tiles were barely dry when SpaceflightNow reported that the International Space Station's brand-new arm might have developed a problem in the Shoulder Pitch joint, which could require on-orbit replacement in what they call a "daring spacewalk". The incident could play havoc with the shuttle launch schedule, since the next mission, which was to deliver the station's big US airlock, requires a fully-functional arm there." There's another article about the malfunctioning arm at space.com.
#6
The fact is that humans can survive very well on a completely non-meat diet. . . .
The Matrix showed that humans can survive very well on liquified remains of other humans, with our brains plugged into virtual reality simulators.
"can survive" and "have a fulfilling life" are two very different things. While I feel blessed and lucky to live in a wonderful country like the US, where I can eat all the tender juicy steaks I want, and have a great standard of living, and still have money to donate to worthy causes (including feeding hungry children in places like Mexico and India, for example) - I do *not* feel compelled to lower my standard of living just to satisfy some vegan extremist's rhetorical fantasies.
Pol Pot thought that he could take millions of decadent fascist urban capitallist pigs, and march them out to the countryside and make them live on collective farms (as vegetarians, by the way), serving the common good. He's on the top ten list of history's worst mass murders of all time. 10 million of his own countrymen - whom he thought he was going to save from the pits of capitalistic depravity. Go watch "The Killing Fields", and think about that the next time they ask you at the grocery store "Paper or Plastic?"
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
WATCH OUT FOR THAT ARM!
-l
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it's a period where the orbit the shuttle ends up in after launching is too far from the ISS's orbit, and it would be too costly / long to change orbit planes to the ISS's, and then back for landing.
It's still possible, it just isn't a good time.
Orbital mechanics is the mathematics of orbiting bodies.
I worry that observers/media will sieze on this as another example of the problems with the space program. In reality, things don't always work. It even looks like it's operating as planned -- it's actually a backup system that's causing problems, the main works fine.
This stuff isn't easy, and if we only want to use technology that has 0% risk, we're going to sit on the ground for a long time. Hey, this is real life. Stuff happens, you change your plans, fix it, and move on.
I'll consider nothing NASA does "daring" until NASA headquarters are in space and HQ authority is exercised exclusively by those in space.
Seastead this.
Best get him on the next shuttle up there to fix it with parts from an old bicycle, a VW engine and whatever other stuff the Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars folk can spare.
However russian designs - not only in space but in aviation and other areas - are indeed very different from western ones. The equipment is intentionally made as simple as possible, with highest reliability. Western style is opposite - to install 17 embedded computers, entrust everyone's life to them and when they all crash just say "it can't happen". We all saw it happening on ISS last month. Russian sections worked because they don't depend so much on computers, and computers are known to be unreliable in space - where high energy particles are plentiful.
So in my opinion, the robot arm is overdesigned. It is too complicated. Maybe it works great, but what's use of that greatness if it doesn't move? Computer controls outside of the station? Why? Saving on few wires? I think the device could be much simpler and more reliable. Note that the current failure mode was not even expected by designers! That's bad. You must always have plan B.
Problems with the Canadarm? Just send up Uncle Red with a couple of rolls of duct tape and he'll have it better than new in no time. Hell, they probably coulda built the entire ISS from the junkheap behind Possum Lodge...
You're using her as bait, Master!
- Atlantis' rainsoaked tiles were barely dry
Hmm, I still think I'm pretty skeptical.I/O Error G-17: Aborting Installation
Now the U.S. media will start calling it the CANADAarm instead of "the big arm"!
You killed Kenny, Bastards!
... the $600 million Canadarm2 ...
and I said, they shouldn't take the cheap one - they always need fixing!
I believe that the majority of people who make the flight average then to twenty years older. I hate to say it, but at that point often you are starting to slide physically, even if you are peaking metally. This will take a whole new training approach as well, since you are dealing with someone with a technician/mechanic level of knowledge. Side note: you will be looking for the short guys. The day of the 6'4" astronaut is not here yet, just due to weight considerations.
Which brings up the idea of a new job title: space mechanic.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Your logic escapes me. The Russians are able to put in orbit durable and cheap modules despite being severely limited by their budget and general economic chaos of the country, and you're arguing that their space savoir-faire is inferior? It's like saying Linux sucks, simply because Torvalds couldn't afford to work with good hardware and so made sure his OS was light-weight enough to run on the cheapest 386. Rather irrational, don't you think?
As for "nobody being happy" about the ISS using the same technologies as MIR, I'm sure NASA, the ESA and the taxpayers of their respective countries would beg to differ. Reusing Russians' experience with MIR and Salyut, both technical and human, saved billions of dollars.
Overall, it seems pretty silly to attack an entire space program on a few incidents happening way after a spacecraft's MTBF had been reached or some poor developer's failure to account for the difference between the metric and imperial system. Shit happens, in space and elsewhere. How many people died on their way to the mall in something as technologically primitive as a Ford Pinto?
--
Violence is necessary, it is as American as cherry pie.
H. Rap Brown
Because wouldn't it really, really suck if some alien society like the frigin' Vogons beat us to becoming the custodians of the universe?
Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. I hold that we can't afford to continue this pattern of knowledge seeking and loss of innocence any further.
Well, I wish you godspeed in your pursuit. What little knowledge you still harbor seems to be causing you more pain than bliss.
I do hope you'll forgive me if I pursue a life of folly, though...
(Counter-troll: your first sentence, taken in the context of the non-pursuit of knowledge, is absolutely golden.)
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
A "daring spacewalk". huh? It wouldn't be as daring if the astronauts inside would stop trying to 'swat' the repairman with the arm =)
Here's how the ISS really works, and some day there will be space tourists, robonauts and inflatable spacecraft.
NASA - Engineers this week discovered the robotic arm on the new space station ceased functioning when they failed to register RoboticArm XP with Microsoft before it was used 15 times. As a result, the robotic arm only boots into a "safe mode." This activates the breaks and the arm does not move. A Micro$oft spokesperson referred to this lack of movement and functionality as evident Micro$soft is providing NASA with the "most secure robotic arm product ever."
After registering RoboticArm XP, engineers eventually had to replace a troublesome joint in the arm as well. The hardware change required NASA engineers to call Micro$oft and convince them RoboticArm XP was not being installed on a new robotic space station arm but in fact, on the same robotic space station arm with a new joint.
Shares of Micro$soft were up an 1/8th on news they actually sold a copy of RoboticArm XP.
RC
RC
I remember reading somewhere that NASA considers 10 years to be the upper age limit of installation reliability (re: structures in orbit). I wonder what will happen if it takes them 10 years to make the ISS fully operational? Will they have to start replacing the original modules as they approach the end of their reliable operational age? It seems to me that it is highly likely that the ISS will *always* be in a state of construction... kinda like a bad website.
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*plamenessFilter = "Flaming Death!!";
Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.
The only reason that the west has become morally degenerate as you state is because people listen to sayings like that. Scientists who develop technologies without regard to the social impact it may have follow your line of reasoning and deliberately remain ignorant of the potentials of their technologies because they can't be bothered. The masses ultimately allow the use of the technology, but remain deliberately ignorant of the issues in order to reserve the right of moral indignation (they never told us smoking was bad/addicting so it's not my fault etc). The US is a prime example of the ostrich technique. Our economy is based on the suffering of many underdeveloped countries, yet most US citizens are vehemently opposed the exploitation of impoverished people. By deliberately remaining ignorant of the facts, people can claim the moral high ground--and still get cheap Nikes. If the US were to become vegetarian, there would be more than enough food for everyone on the planet (we supply more than enough grain for domestic and foreign markets, and we feed 80% of our grain to livestock, which take more than 1,000,000 times the resources to produce, pound per pound, than vegetables). But we can't be expected to give up our hamburgers and... SPAM! And besides, nobody actually "knows" this, so it's ok.
The only way technology/progress sees immoral applications is when people choose to remain ignorant of the realities.
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string* plamenessFilter =
*plamenessFilter = "Flaming Death!!";
You just know it was that Tito guy. Nasa's nightmare come true.. Tito's up there with nothing to do for an entire week, pretty soon he's flinging space garbage towards Florida with The Arm.
Tito looks around.. hums to himself nervously.. floats away quietly.
They should send Dr. Strangelove up there, or at least his arm.
"What is the sound of one belly slapping?"