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NASA Probes Shuttle Oxygen Leak

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the getting-started-with-a-bang-not-necessarily-a-good-thing dept.

Cherita Chen writes "NASA is investigating the possibility of a gaseous oxygen leak, posing a serious fire risk, during the launch of the space shuttle Discovery in July. From the article: 'Engineers uncovered possible evidence of high concentrations of the gas in the rear engine compartment about two minutes after lift-off. A leak could lead to a fire or even an explosion in flight.'"

8 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. Scuttle the Shuttle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The shuttle program has run its course, it's too complicated to maintain and operate, unreliable and countless times, astronauts, engineers have said it that it would have been more cost effective and safer to just use re-usable expendable rockets. The irony is Nasa probably had hints about this back in the 80's and only now 20+ year's later are the heading to the drawing board to come up with a replacemnet. NASA lost it's forward thinking ability after the moon landings... We need maybe one or two smaller versions with forward thinking individuals..

    1. Re:Scuttle the Shuttle by keraneuology · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Exactly what happens when people are allowed to spend other people's money with essentially zero accountability. Personally I'd like to see NASA eliminated as a public entity - there just isn't enough ROI. Fund it through voluntary contributions and commercial ventures. Period.

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      If the g'vt kept the data on you that google does you'd better believe you'd be calling it "doing evil"
  2. Re:500 parts per million? by Iron+(III)+Chloride · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because the concentration of the oxygen is significantly greater 2 minutes into flight at high altitudes relative to the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere.

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    Cogito, ergo sum, fosho!
  3. Re:500 parts per million? by GigsVT · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Taking a stab in the dark:

    Maybe because 500ppm at the sensor means 100% O2 near the area of the leak. Makes sense after all. If something started burning somewhere between the 100% part and the 500ppm part, it could spread very quickly in the direction of the leak. Once the tank gets hot, the leak would speed up which would feed the fire even more. You see where this is going end up.

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    I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
  4. Re:500 parts per million? by Lazarian · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What is the significance of the 500 parts per million figure in the article? Something's leaking.

  5. Re:Stop the presses! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Maybe we should stop forcing people to be astronauts...oh wait.
    Seriously is there any astronaut who doesn't know and accept that their job is dangerous?

  6. The Apollo 13 book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I remember it from the book about the movie. The book was really good, and fairly informative without using integrals/fluid mechanics/thermodynamics.

    For NASA, it takes a disaster to change anything worthwhile. This is a problem with the accountant bean-counters, not the engineers or the astronauts. The problem is the current management team.

    The problem is that NASA is no longer run by engineers for engineers. It's run by Marketing and Business Administrators for Marketing and Business Administrators.

  7. Re:It's True! by StarKruzr · · Score: 2, Insightful

    1) "Funny" doesn't get you karma.
    2) The mod itself is funny.

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    +++ATH0