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Stuck Knob Causes Serious Window Damage To Atlantis

FTL writes "While in orbit a metal knob floated between a window and the dashboard of Atlantis. Once back on Earth, the shuttle contracted, wedging the knob firmly in place and damaging the window. Initial attempts to free the knob have failed and engineers may need six months to disassemble that section of the orbiter. Given that the shuttle program will probably end next year anyway, such a delay might mean scrapping Atlantis early rather than repairing it. Efforts to remove the knob using less invasive techniques continue."

13 of 291 comments (clear)

  1. The Inanimate Carbon Knob! by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    The article neglects to mention the extreme disappointment of John M. Grunsfeld who spent the majority of Mission STS-125 photographing a strange phenomenon he could witness through his window but could not detect on radar. A large knob-shaped object would move about above the atmosphere with an almost supernatural fluidity and change of speeds relative to the Earth. He neglected to mention it to his crewmates hoping that he had stumbled upon either the first contact with alien life or observed a new phenomenon he dubbed in his journal "Grunsfeld's Effect." Unfortunately the engineers at NASA have immortalized his name by calling the stuck debris "Grunsfeld's Knob" or "Grunsfeld's God." The engineers have also started referring to being duped as "being grunsfelded." Example: "I called up to order some of those damn Video Professor instructional DVDs and ended up with 8 of the stupid things. Man did I get Grunsfelded!"

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    My work here is dung.
  2. missed opportunity by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Title suggestion: "Shuttle has a Wedgie"
       

  3. since the shuttle programming is so old by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    and is underfunded and ending soon anyways, give atlantis the same proper ghetto treatment a contemporary of its time would receive, like 25 year old plymouth horizon: plastic sheeting and duct tape

    also knock out a back tail light and finger daub "wash me" in the cosmic dust on its hood

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    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  4. Listen to the radio ads by Chelloveck · · Score: 4, Funny

    They need to call one of those chip-and-crack auto glass replacement people that I hear on the radio all the time. They come out to your workplace to do the job, and best of all, you only pay the insurance deductible!

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    Chelloveck
    I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
  5. Been there done that by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    I know how they feel: Toyota's quoting me $400 to fix a loose sun visor because they have to take the entire @&%#! side of the car apart to get to it.
       

  6. Re:finally, a use for a dremel tool by Crunchie+Frog · · Score: 5, Funny

    they can borrow mine. I never use it.

    I read your comment before reading your title and assumed you meant your knob.

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    --- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity
  7. Re:Dissolve it by CarpetShark · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't you think dissolving the space shuttle is overkill?

  8. Stuck knob by Hatta · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this condition lasts for more than 4 hours, call a doctor.

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  9. Re:physics by Gilmoure · · Score: 4, Funny

    I used to do tech support at Honeywell. Had real rocket scientists there. Called them my brilliant idiots.

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    I drank what? -- Socrates
  10. You know you should go to bed, when... by Hurricane78 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...you read that as "Stuck Know Causes Serious Windows Damage To Atlantis", and think "How the hell do they know what OS they were using on that sunken island?"

    I just know realized, that even my question does not make any sense...

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    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  11. Re:Aren't the windshields replaced all the time? by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one am completely comfortable with calling in a local contractor and installing some new money-saving vinyl windows which will be the only thing between me and seventeen thousand mile per hour wind.

  12. Re:Dissolve it by Anonymous+Struct · · Score: 5, Funny

    Look, do you want the knob back or not?

  13. Re:pressure by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's something you didn't try, and it was reading the fucking article.

    <Slaps Head> Of course! The answer is in the article. Phone NASA and tell them to read it.

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    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.