A question about non-tethered EVA risk.

It has been stated that there are no guidelines or plans with respect
to an 'over-the-side' or non-tethered EVA to inspect the RCC leading
edge.

But, given the ability of the Shuttle to very accurately manouvre
itself, is an unthethered EVA really that much more dangerous than a
regular EVA as it would seem?

If an untethered astronaut were in the payload bay, could not the
Shuttle handle navigating downwards, then backwards, then leftwards,
then upwards, allowing close observation? And then performing these
navigations in reverse, having the astronaut come back in contact with
the payload bay?

The concept of untethered EVA sound distressingly risky, but unless
the Shuttle suffered a navigational thruster failure, it would
essentially be no more complicated than an ISS docking, would it not?

Thanks.

Re disorientation, could the underside be painted with a cross hatch with
co-ordinates on it to aid this problem?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
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In article , Brian Gaff wrote:
Re disorientation, could the underside be painted with a cross hatch with
co-ordinates on it to aid this problem?

Offhand guess: you'd really not want to do that, as the paint could
cause nontrivial problems on re-entry, when it starts flaking and
potentially contributing to abrading or thermally damaging the TPS,
plus any subsequent (probably minor) aerodynamic effects.

--
-Andrew Gray

Andrew Gray wrote:

In article , Brian Gaff wrote:
Re disorientation, could the underside be painted with a cross hatch with
co-ordinates on it to aid this problem?

Offhand guess: you'd really not want to do that, as the paint could
cause nontrivial problems on re-entry, when it starts flaking and
potentially contributing to abrading or thermally damaging the TPS,
plus any subsequent (probably minor) aerodynamic effects.

What about the stuff between the tiles? Could that be a different colour
than the tiles?

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 18:46:38 +0200, Kegwasher
wrote:

Andrew Gray wrote:

In article , Brian Gaff wrote:
Re disorientation, could the underside be painted with a cross hatch with
co-ordinates on it to aid this problem?

Offhand guess: you'd really not want to do that, as the paint could
cause nontrivial problems on re-entry, when it starts flaking and
potentially contributing to abrading or thermally damaging the TPS,
plus any subsequent (probably minor) aerodynamic effects.

What about the stuff between the tiles? Could that be a different colour
than the tiles?

....Oh hell, just color code the tiles different shades of black :-)


OM

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"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

OM wrote:

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 18:46:38 +0200, Kegwasher
wrote:

Andrew Gray wrote:

In article , Brian Gaff wrote:
Re disorientation, could the underside be painted with a cross hatch
with co-ordinates on it to aid this problem?

Offhand guess: you'd really not want to do that, as the paint could
cause nontrivial problems on re-entry, when it starts flaking and
potentially contributing to abrading or thermally damaging the TPS,
plus any subsequent (probably minor) aerodynamic effects.

What about the stuff between the tiles? Could that be a different colour
than the tiles?

...Oh hell, just color code the tiles different shades of black :-)


OM

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours anymore, I want them to turn black

sorry, could not resist.

Kegwasher wrote in
:

OM wrote:

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 18:46:38 +0200, Kegwasher
wrote:

Andrew Gray wrote:

In article , Brian Gaff
wrote:
Re disorientation, could the underside be painted with a cross
hatch with co-ordinates on it to aid this problem?

Offhand guess: you'd really not want to do that, as the paint could
cause nontrivial problems on re-entry, when it starts flaking and
potentially contributing to abrading or thermally damaging the TPS,
plus any subsequent (probably minor) aerodynamic effects.

What about the stuff between the tiles? Could that be a different
colour than the tiles?

...Oh hell, just color code the tiles different shades of black :-)

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours anymore, I want them to turn black

sorry, could not resist.

No need for apologies, but I may need to after this one:

"It's the wild color scheme that freaks me. Every time you try to operate
one of these weird black controls that are labeled in black on a black
background, a little black light lights up black to let you know you've
done it. What is this? Some kind of galactic cyberhearse?"

"Perhaps whoever designed it had eyes that responded to different
wavelengths."

"Or didn't have much imagination."

"Perhaps he was feeling very depressed."

--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

Doug... wrote in
:

In article ,
says...

"Perhaps he was feeling very depressed."

Thank you, Marvin, if we had wanted your opinion, we would have left
you in the car park!

Aw, dammit, you got that one... last line gives it away. OK, how about:

"Something about this, that, that's so black, it's like, how much more
black could this be, and the answer is, none, none more black."

--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

On or about 08 Jul 2003 05:57:15 GMT, Jorge R. Frank
made the sensational claim that:
"Something about this, that, that's so black, it's like, how much more
black could this be, and the answer is, none, none more black."

Well I think it's depressing, it looks like death.
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"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...

"Perhaps whoever designed it had eyes that responded to different
wavelengths."

"Or didn't have much imagination."

"Perhaps he was feeling very depressed."

"I wait in this place
Where the sun never shines
I wait in this place
Where the shadows run from themselves"

--
Terrell Miller


"We pay for love, but the hate comes free"
-Gordon Sumner