Space Shuttle Gains Remote-Control Landing Capability

rufey writes "An article over at Space.com mentions two new tools that Space Shuttle Discovery will have aboard during its upcoming flight, designated STS-121, scheduled to lift off on July 1, 2006. One tool is for tile repair. The other tool is a 28-foot-long cable that would be used to connect an avionics bay located on the mid-deck with the flight-deck controls. The cable enables flight controllers on the ground to land the Shuttle completely by remote control, including the ability to lower the landing gear. The remote control landing would be used in the case where the Shuttle was damaged to the point that it would be too risky to land it with humans aboard, but could be landed without humans aboard in an attempt to save the vehicle. The astronauts would take refuge on the ISS while mission control in Houston attempt to land a damaged Shuttle."

Comments

Filling the ISS over capacity a good idea?

[Captain Perspicuous]

So far, the ISS has always only be filled up to the number of people that can be immediately evacuated with the always-attached escape vehicle. Now, we're filling it up more? I understand this is an emergency, but imagine the ISS gets hit by space junk and 3 people can go back to earth while the other have to wave goodbye on the ISS and die?

Additionally, I think the Space Shuttle needs to load a connector to dock to the ISS - will this now be always loaded into the cargo bay or what?

Re:Filling the ISS over capacity a good idea?

[basingwerk]

I think we have to accept that, in space flight, humans are not safe, else we spend the whole budget trying to work around "what if?" situations. That's brutal, but we all have short lives, and they all end the same way. It's good fun to send folks into space and see them on TV, but part of the fascination is to do with the isolation and danger of it.

Re:Buran

[bogaboga]

People always try to put down the Russians. Why? Yet the world knows that these folks can achieve a lot more with far fewer resources. To make matters worse, they (the Russians) do not go arround bragging about their achievements.

The Russians did their Buran thing with no fan fare yet and it was more modern and stayed technologically superior to anything we Americans produced for 17 years. Heck we even do not know what they have in store for us.

For sure...if they can control their spaceships from earth, I do not see why landing a shuttle remotely is that tough. Please do not diminish the Russian achievements.

Re:Buran

[1u3hr]

To make matters worse, they (the Russians) do not go arround bragging about their achievements.

In Soviet Russia.... they certainly did brag about their achievements. For instance, Sputnik and Gagarin got huge exposure. But until they had achieved their aim, they preferred to keep quiet, so if it did go pear shaped they could just pretend they weren't even trying.

Re:Buran

[Bitsy Boffin]

Externally, the Soviet shuttle design appeared to be a copy of the American. But that's as far as that went. Buran had no engines for a start, it was strictly a payload for Energia. Certainly the engineers who created Buran looked at the American shuttle when they were coming up with the general principle, but in the same way that an aircraft designer looks at other aircraft.

One could say that Airbus copied Boeing because airliners all look pretty similar. One would be an idiot to make that comment though, the reality is that they are vastly different beasts.