It's Halloween, Trick or Treat, NASA style.

Trick or Treat, it's Halloween at NASA.

A short recap of recent events.

On a previous mission, NASA has great trouble folding an old and worn Solar
Array. Even had to stop the folding process, send astronauts out with
makeshift tool and reported to the nation the extreme dangers that
astronauts must endure. It's Dangerous next to these solar array, surging
with power. It seems that the braided guide wire has some broken strands.

Between mission, NASA decides that many studies are required, to ensure that
the Solar array can be unfurled. Many assumptions were made about what
might occur. Tests were run on hypothetical situations. Braided strands
broken, snags created, snags un-snagged, solar arrays unfurled. But, never
considering which will break first, the solar array or the snagged strand
of guide wire?

Lulled into a fails sense of security, all is well, NASA had deluded
themselves. The snag will un-snag. Not even knowing if there is a snag or
how it is snagged. Ahh, life is good, time to unfurl. Oh look, it must be
snagged! Don't worry, Studies indicate that the snag will un-snag 100% of
the time, just keep pulling. OK.

The answer to all important question of which will break first is ......
drum roll please ...... The Solar Array ..... Oops!

Totally unprepared, NASA goes into high gear. Apollo 13 mode, Engage.
Attention all hands, Emergency, Emergency, the solar array is broken. Lets
make those makeshift tool again, it's jury-rig time. Danger, Danger Will
Robinson, high voltage ahead, danger, danger. Even at Night, when the Moon
is full, you never know when a goblin will...

Ah, Treat, what a treat it was watching the drama unfold, along with the
solar array.
--
Craig Fink
Courtesy E-Mail Welcome @

Yes indeed. These are the ways things are learned. With many pieces of
equipment failure modes can be so numerous as to be unpredictable.

The more complex things get the more possibilities of course.

As a matter of interest, just what was the story of why the truss had to be
where it was in the first place? Could they not have simply sent up some
temporary arrays in the first place and delivered the truss etc, later on?

OK, too simple I know.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________


"Craig Fink" wrote in message
...
Trick or Treat, it's Halloween at NASA.

A short recap of recent events.

On a previous mission, NASA has great trouble folding an old and worn
Solar
Array. Even had to stop the folding process, send astronauts out with
makeshift tool and reported to the nation the extreme dangers that
astronauts must endure. It's Dangerous next to these solar array, surging
with power. It seems that the braided guide wire has some broken strands.

Between mission, NASA decides that many studies are required, to ensure
that
the Solar array can be unfurled. Many assumptions were made about what
might occur. Tests were run on hypothetical situations. Braided strands
broken, snags created, snags un-snagged, solar arrays unfurled. But, never
considering which will break first, the solar array or the snagged strand
of guide wire?

Lulled into a fails sense of security, all is well, NASA had deluded
themselves. The snag will un-snag. Not even knowing if there is a snag or
how it is snagged. Ahh, life is good, time to unfurl. Oh look, it must be
snagged! Don't worry, Studies indicate that the snag will un-snag 100% of
the time, just keep pulling. OK.

The answer to all important question of which will break first is ......
drum roll please ...... The Solar Array ..... Oops!

Totally unprepared, NASA goes into high gear. Apollo 13 mode, Engage.
Attention all hands, Emergency, Emergency, the solar array is broken. Lets
make those makeshift tool again, it's jury-rig time. Danger, Danger Will
Robinson, high voltage ahead, danger, danger. Even at Night, when the Moon
is full, you never know when a goblin will...

Ah, Treat, what a treat it was watching the drama unfold, along with the
solar array.
--
Craig Fink
Courtesy E-Mail Welcome @

Brian Gaff wrote:

As a matter of interest, just what was the story of why the truss had to be
where it was in the first place? Could they not have simply sent up some
temporary arrays in the first place and delivered the truss etc, later on?

OK, too simple I know.

The truss is not just a structural piece; it contains power conversion
and conditioning equipment that is required in order to use the power
from the arrays. You cannot send up the arrays without the truss; it
simply will not work. That is why they are called "Integrated Truss
Segments".

No indeed, to continually repeat the same mistakes is not learning. It only
appears complex and hard when watching NASA select, and they seem to work
hard making it appear that way.

I didn't watch much of it at all, only the beginning and a few snip-its. I
was shaking my head pretty early on, wonder, and turned it off. The over
reliance on studies combined with lack on action, inaction, is baffling.
Watched a little of a press conference, NASA studies a few snags for six
months, and does nothing, that was my impression, I guess that's ISS.
click Last Mission, the Shuttle, studies, inaction, works out ok. Just
because it worked out ok, doesn't make it the best or only solution, it was
just doing nothing and the only thing studied.

Still kind of unbelievable, they weren't more careful knowing they had
frayed wires.

On a sailboat, you'll rub your bare hand down an old wire rope one time, and
only one time, because you just made a bloody mess. That doesn't mean that
you'll stop touching them, you just learn how do do it without bleeding all
over the deck. There are many ways to learn something, doing things in
Space is not totally new, in many it relates to other commonly done things
here on Earth.

Good job fixing the solar array, but consider how it became a bloody mess in
the first place. NASA seems to keep doing it over, and over, and over
again. And, is apparently proud of it, from what little of the Press
Conference (a daily update) I watched.

Columbia was an over reliance on studies and total lack of action too. This
one wasn't life or death, just some frayed wires, but they had a long time
to prepare and could bring things from the ground.

Teflon is great in the space environment, teflon is real slippery, teflon
would hold broken strands in place, teflon coated guide wires might perform
much better. I wonder if the next set of arrays will have teflon coated
guide wires?

Brian Gaff wrote:

Yes indeed. These are the ways things are learned. With many pieces of
equipment failure modes can be so numerous as to be unpredictable.

The more complex things get the more possibilities of course.

As a matter of interest, just what was the story of why the truss had to
be where it was in the first place? Could they not have simply sent up
some temporary arrays in the first place and delivered the truss etc,
later on?

OK, too simple I know.