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Dennis Threatens Discovery Launch Date
BitFluid writes "According to CNN.com, hurricane Dennis is casting doubt on the shuttle's July 13th launch date. From the article: 'NASA has until the end of July to send Discovery on a flight to the international space station, otherwise it must wait until September to ensure a daylight launch.' Shuttle managers decided Thursday evening to begin initial preparations to move Discovery from the pad, as the hurricane increased in intensity and headed toward the Gulf of Mexico and Florida's southern tip. NASA spokesman George Diller said, 'We're going to keep our options open. We're still trying to protect the 13th.'"
Here's a tracking map of Hurricane Dennis, courtesy of the good folks over at Weather Underground.
Looks fairly safe (since Cape Canaveral is off the east coast of Florida), but I'm sure the boys over at NASA don't want to take any chances...
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Why, again, are NASA launches based in Florida? They always seem to schedule launches during the 'hurricane season'
Why don't they pack up shop and move to Texas or New Mexico? If they can set off a nuke there, I think a rocket accident is the least of their worries.
... than to destroy yet another shuttle.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
hell just launch through the hurricane. It's hardly more dangerous than any of the other risky problems facing the shuttle.
12:50 - press return.
CNN is reporting now that they have decided to leave it out on the pad and the launch date is not threatened. I tried to notify the /. editor when I saw this posting but I was too late!
I feel bad for all those people in FL having to deal with this. I lived there a long time and never had to put up with so much hurricane activity.
get your dirty sig off me, you filthy APE!
Dennis and Cindy information . I don't see why Dennis would interfere with Cape C. I think NASA is being over-cautious, as they have been for the past few years. Then again, I am obviously not a rocket scientist. Nor am I a meteorologist. Now I'm questioning why I am even making this post! :)
I have something to say. It's better to burn out than to FADE AWAY!
It seems to me that Mother Nature is a little bit reluctant to let her children leave home and grow up...
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/08/shuttle.l aunch.ap/index.html
evil adrian
...the comic strip "Dennis the Menace", eh?
President George W. Bush has declared Dennis an international terrorist, guilty of violent acts in Jamaica and Cuba. In response to Dennis's threats against Kennedy Space Center he has ordered that Dennis be arrested and detained at Gitmo as an unlawful combatant indefinitely. In response to an aide's attempt to explain to Mr. Bush that Dennis was an "Act of God", Bush responsed "Well fine then, we'll go after him next."
Whew, really treading the line between -1 Troll and +5 Funny on this one.
The laws of probability forbid it!
I tell you, it's all the fault of the war between the Japanese and KGB!
Why do they have to launch in July to ensure a daylight launch? Is it that hard to meet up with the ISS?
This is a sig, there are many like it, but this is mine.
"NASA managers Thursday evening decided to begin preparing the shuttle Discovery for a possible roll back to the protection of the Vehicle Assembly Building should Hurricane Dennis take a turn to the east and threaten the Space Coast. At a midnight meeting, however, officials put those preparations on hold. And this morning the decision was made to cancel any rollback.
Technicians at launch pad 39B have disconnected explosive ordnance as part of early rollback preparations. At a midnight senior management meeting, however, officials decided not to continue with the list of chores to unhook Discovery from its seaside complex given a more optimistic weather outlook that keeps Dennis well away from Kennedy Space Center. Proceeding with more rollback activities overnight would have prevented an on-time launch Wednesday.
Rollback to the VAB would have to be completed before the wind reaches 40 knots (46 MPH). [It would take] about 48 hours from the time the decision is made to the time we are in the VAB. We had a weather briefing and at this point we are fairly confident we will not have to fuss with the storm, at least this one this time. It's a long hurricane season."
NT
Not even close...the monkey beat you again.
You fail it.
Who does this Dennis character think he is?
"Cape Canaveral was chosen for rocket launches to take advantage of the earth's rotation. At the equator, the centrifugal force of earth's rotation is the maximum. The direction of earth's rotation is such that to take advantage of the rotation, rockets should be launched eastward. It is also highly desirable to have the downrange area sparsely populated, ideally an ocean, in case of accidents. Thus rockets should be launched from a continent's east coast as close to the equator as possible. For the United States, Florida is the most southerly east coast location."
Every two years Mars is in the right position for a launch window of three weeks. That happens to August for a new imaging orbiter. There is one week per month suitable for the space station, and these two collide in August.
I have heard from someone who works on the Shuttle that Nasa Management in meetings does not view the storm as a real threat. However, that are making plans just in case, and to satisfy the media. No one expects a rollback as justified given the current track.
latest launch news says they're not worried:
& CE=1
NASA still aiming for Wednesday shuttle launch
Hurricane Dennis isn't threatening the liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery, and NASA officials are still aiming for a liftoff next week.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8503328&&CM=EmailThis
Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
High velocity, turbulent winds + precise trajectories required = Very Bad
High-speed flying debris + extremely lightweight airframe components = Very Bad
Lightning + tall metal structure full of exceedingly combustable materials = Very Bad
If craft is launching: Rain + moving at thousands of meters per second, turning each drop into an impactor = Very Bad
Especially if craft is launching: Wind shear + very tall, weak object = Very Bad
Even if there is no damage to the craft, inspection time = Very Expensive, Bad.
Need I go on? Inclement weather is horrible to rockets. Even having to move the craft off its pad and back into the assembly building alone, then move it back, is a very big, expensive, time consuming task. If there's any damage to the building, and especially if there's damage to the vehicle, it could be a huge issue. Even if the storm doesn't hit Florida, slight bad weather from the fringes of the storm can be very bad for rockets during launch, for reasons described above and more.
"It felt almost as good as stealing cars from grandma." -- Margaret Thatcher, probably.
don't worry, you can try to catch them again before the dupe story is posted
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
...cue the Dennis the Menace references.
Wood Shavings!
- Godai
"Because the storm has ended its eastward drift and the primary track is slightly more to the west, it was decided Friday morning that Discovery will not be rolled back from the launch pad," NASA's Web site reported... So, since it looks like the storm is well and clear of the launch site and no high winds are expected at CC, they've decided not to move the launch pad. Sure they've made 'initial preparations' but it would be foolish not to. So basically the news is ... no news for now.
=======
Science -- Sealed, Delivered.
Ye see a FLASK. Obvious exits are NORTH, SOUTH, and DENNIS.
-- If you give him a trinket, he will help you... *ducks*
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
I'm going to be getting hit by Dennis, I live in the southern-most tip of Alabama, in Mobile. I'm busy trying to prepare.
Now, I wish the launch would go on schedule & everything would be a success. It has been a long time in coming.
On a personal note, this would a worthy tribute to Astronaut Kalpana Chawla who died on that tragic shuttle in 2003. She was from my country (India), did her Masters in Aeronautical Engineering from my university (University of Texas at Arlington) and her shuttle broke up over North Texas, close to UTA's campus & I saw the shuttle's faint streak across the skies that fateful day in Arlington.
Here's to you Kalpana.
Someone should stop that kid. If it wasn't enough the headaches he gives Mr. Wilson... and now this?
Deeeeenniiiiiss!
hurricane Dennis is casting doubt on the shuttle's July 13th launch date.
I have a bet with a co-worker that the shuttle won't get off the ground in 2005, so here's keeping our fingers crossed.
(What, you though that the USA was still in the space race? Keep dreaming. It's all up to the Chinese now.)
Remember that time that the engineers on the site thought it was "too cold" to launch and that the O rings had never been tested at that temperature? Bunch of nonsense, I'm glad they ignored that! Hopefully, they'll stop being such worry worts this time and let the launch go according to plan!
cuz i want to see the launch, but i'm driving up the coast tomorrow and won't be able to go back up to canaveral unless they postpone it.
One of the sad things about the new (yes I know, and needed) safety requirements is the daytime launch requirement. I have seen many night launches, both from inside of the Space Center and from my home 150 miles south, and they are beautiful. Shuttle launches light up the horizon like sunrise. I will miss the sight until NASA comes up with a new heavy lift vehicle.
Dennis hit us yesterday. You can get some more info from my blog. Hopefully it won't affect Cuba too much, and hopefully NASA's launch will go off without a hitch.
Anybody who has seen Marooned knows that all they have to do is wait for the moment that the eye of the hurricane passes over the launch pad, and everything will be be A-OK for liftoff. No big deal.
What is it with guys these days? Are they on steroids or something? I can't understand guys threatening their lunch dates. I mean, if they can't get what they want by asking nicely then they shouldn't bother spending money on a woman anyway. I mean really... how low does a guy have to be to threaten his lunch date?! ... ...
Oh... crap... I read that wrong... nevermind.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml /150721.shtml?tswind120?large according to the National Hurricane Center, winds equal to or exceeding 34 kt...39 mph (tropical storm force) extend to Cape Canaveral - that's probably why they're not taking any chances
Apollo 12 was launched in a storm and was hit by lightning, which knocked it offline for a few seconds, but they kept the mission going.
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The Signature could not be accessed. Please try again later or contact the administrator
You might want to look at that image again ... it says that there is a 20% chance that winds will be tropical storm force at Cape Canaveral between now and next Wednesday.
It is sad day when one of the the top space agencies is scared of the dark. :/
IANARS - but why can't they fire rockets up into space during rain and wind?
I would think that a rocket would have enough power/force/momentum/whatever to stay on course.
Could someone please answer this question legitimately?
Thanks.
[Connection closed by foreign host]
As of 1800 GMT, Dennis' movement was wobbling which is usually indicitive of strengthening. Additionally, the latest model runs that we meteorologist hold so near and dear to our hearts has the forecasted track going further east than what is presently shown on the hurricane forecast maps (mainly due to said models showing something called a trough gaining strength over the south central gulf states). So, as of right now, they probably won't need to worry, but better safe than sorry.
Bryan R.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
Pardon me. VDB is the best polar orbit launch site in CONUS.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
I didn't know you were called Dennis!
Wait for the eye to pass over and launch through that. Piece of pie\h\h\hcake.
- scsg
If craft is launching: Rain + moving at thousands of meters per second, turning each drop into an impactor = Very Bad
The shuttle is not going to move that fast where rain is an issue. If I didn't seriously misread this graph here, it goes about 400m/s at 10km. Okay, pretty fast...
surface winds; yes.
But high-altitude winds are the real danger.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Then ask yourself would you park your billion dollar spaceship outside if there was a 20% chance of a tropical storm damaging it? I don't think they gamble with those odds.
Ok here's my suggestion, If anyone wants to hear it. Why not build a movable wall (that slides up and down) out of thick material, so when something like this happens, you press a button, and the steel walls comes up from out of the ground encasing the shuttle. I know people are going to ask what about a top for this thing...hey like Lewis Black says...we have domes over our arenas, why not here. Sure it might cost a bit, and take a bit of time, but why not take care of our million dollars toys, just like people put car covers on cars...just a thought!
~~"Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." ~~Dennis Miller
If Quiviria, the legendary city of gold, where on the moon, you bet your butt every G8 country would be launching some rickety spaceship tomorrow, rain or shine.
"All systems go Captain, now you are SURE they were not using the Metric system when calculating our launch trajectory?"
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
In Soviet Russia, space shuttles knock over hurricanes.
Having never attend a launch previously, and fearing that such events will be historic memories only in the future, I would like to attend the next available launch. What would you folks recommend as the best location? I have access to bicycles and kayaks, so can go off-road and wouldn't mind a 4-5 mile paddle if need be.
Cave, wreck, and deep diver.
The closer you are to the equator, the more velocity you get from the earth's spin. It's a function of your latitude, namely
delta-V-earth = velocity-at-equator*cos(latitude); delta-V-earth is the amount of velocity the earth contributes to your launch. Also, a word about orbit inclinations. From a launch site like Kennedy which is 28-ish degrees, you can hit any orbital inclination from 28-180 degrees [90 degrees is polar, or heading straight up to the north pole: anything beyond 90 is retrograde, or orbiting opposite the rotation of the earth]. If you wanted to hit say 25 degrees you would have to make an inclination change in orbit which is VERY fuel inefficient.
So operating from as low an inclination as possible gives you the biggest energy boost you can get from the earth, and the widest range of orbital inclinations.
-everphilski-
I'm pretty sure the coast guard and navy keep the area around the cape free of civilians. You can *see* the launch from anywhere in Florida, but I recommend purchasing tickets to view the launch from Kennedy Space Center.
The best place you can perhaps access to watch the launch is at the river back 10 miles away from the pad. You'll need to purchase an advanced ticket to enter the Kennedy site. Said tickets may be sold out by now, though. But if you do, you will meet at the visitors center and a tour bus will take you to the viewing site to see the launch. Google "Kenndy Space Center + Visitor's center + Shuttle launch" (plus "Delaware" may help) to find out more.
If you do take a bicycle or kayaks to approach the launch site, the chances are that NASA security (or Marines) would spot you and halt the entire launch sequence -- i.e., you'd be responsible for scrubbing a shuttle launch. So DON'T.
[If you donate a few million dollars to your senators or the president, you probably could call them and ask them to pull strings to get you a VIP pass to watch the launch from the viewing site at 2 miles distance. Now that's a treat you'd not forget.
Dennis... the Menace?
...has pushed back the date of the first arrivals considerably, and it looks like they landed in south america from boats. The siberian land bridge folks came later.
- You want to launch rockets as close to the equator as possible, to take advantage of the earth's spin.
- Putting it on the east coast was mandatory, so there would be nobody living under the eastward flight path. The other option being considered was Brownsville, Texas.
- When NASA started, the U.S. Air Force already had their Atlantic Missile Testing range on Cape Canaveral, and all the existing infrastructure, particularly the downrange tracking radar, was something they wouldn't have to build.
It's the combination of 1 and 2 which give you hurricane issues.I mean... the one from the SpongeBob Squarepants movie? ;)
Come on, when have legitimate safety concerns stopped overzealous NASA management from meeting meaningless and arbitrary deadlines in the past?
Software piracy is victimless theft.
Sure wish they'd hurry up with those Kleiner drives... talk about efficiency!