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NASA Will Man Destruct Switch Just In Case

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the explosions-are-cool dept.

Ant writes "Popular Mechanics reports if the looming Discovery mission or any other between now and the spacecraft's retirement loses control, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is prepared to ditch it in the Atlantic ocean — or blow it up. The article also shows complete no-fly-zone maps and a photograph of the switch."

17 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. Four Buttons? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't understand why there are four switches. I mean, I understand "Arm" and "Destruct", but why "test"? Does that blow up just a small section of the shuttle? I would have thought that turning off the "Arm" would be the same as "Safe"

    I know, I know ... it's the engineers having a laugh. Getting a kick out of the confused looks on stupid people like myself.

    1. Re:Four Buttons? by JustOK · · Score: 3, Funny

      The test switch only works once.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    2. Re:Four Buttons? by torstenvl · · Score: 4, Funny

      NOP? For shame, wasting your delay slots

    3. Re:Four Buttons? by Alwin+Henseler · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sure hope those are labeled correctly... just in case anyone at NASA would think it's a funny prank, I recommend NASA add one more rule to their launch procedures: "DO NOT lauch on April 1st"

      Best use a time window, to allow for differences in 'local time' (a relative notion for space operations)

    4. Re:Four Buttons? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I like the general layout of the buttons.

      The only recommendation I would make is to move the distruct button to the right by another half to full inch.

    5. Re:Four Buttons? by theeddie55 · · Score: 4, Funny

      The only recommendation I would make is to move the distruct button to the right by another half to full inch.
      They tried that... Not aesthetically pleasing.
      --
      Blazing Spiders
    6. Re:Four Buttons? by c6gunner · · Score: 3, Funny

      I had heard once that there were two buttons the RSO had to use to blow up the shuttle, and that the first button activated an indicator in the cockpit that let the astronauts know what was about to happen.
      Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Only it's not an indication-light. It actually activates a system which releases streamers and balloons, while loud celebratory music blares out of hidden speakers, and an amplified voice yells "CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU'VE WON A FABULOUS TRIP TO PARADISE!!!!".
    7. Re:Four Buttons? by greeze · · Score: 5, Funny

      They should've had Apple design it. Apple would've done it with only ONE switch.

    8. Re:Four Buttons? by syousef · · Score: 4, Funny

      I don't understand why there are four switches. I mean, I understand "Arm" and "Destruct", but why "test"? Does that blow up just a small section of the shuttle?

      That button is for mission controllers that wanted to be astronauts but didn't make the cut. It blows up just one astronaut, but leaves the shuttle flying. Correct procedure when using this button is to laugh maniacally then yell "Who wants to be an astronaut now, bitch!" before flicking the switch.

      --
      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
    9. Re:Four Buttons? by davolfman · · Score: 3, Funny

      Did we actually argue here? or did we just agree in a very hostile fashion?

    10. Re:Four Buttons? by dotancohen · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'd like to think that we had a discussion. My experience as a loving husband forbibs me to categorize discussions as "arguments" or "conversations".

      --
      It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  2. photograph by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I looked at TFA, and I gotta tell you, it's an exciting picture of the switch. Actually, it looks like FOUR switches and FOUR buttons. Well worth going to the site to see it.

  3. Re:Not news by moteyalpha · · Score: 5, Funny

    Could we get a set of buttons like that on this article? If the comments are going down in flames, CmdrTaco could self destruct the article.

  4. Re:People inside? by dotancohen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, this is not news. But they have a picture of THE SWITCHES. Ooh, aah. That's so that visitors know what not to fuck with while on tour.
    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  5. Re:Not news by dotancohen · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some people get them for every post. It's called -1 [troll||redundant||offtopic||overrated]. The people with them are called mods. Watch what they do to both our poor posts now.

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  6. Slashdot Translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Test: ping

    Arm: login root

    Destruct: rm / -rf

    Safe: logout

  7. Re:Encoded Signals by barry99705 · · Score: 2, Funny

    It probably uses WEP.