Wing sensors recording a hit

Hi,

I read about the wing sensors that would be installed before the
Return to Flight of the shuttle.

Not specificaly for the shuttle, but for any winged spacecraft:

Would it be possible to detect a wing impact in almost realtime, get
an instant replay from the video sources at slow motion at the time of
impact to the backroom guys, and come up with a decision while in
launch?

Is it possible to install equipment that can positively give enough
information to suspect shielding damage?

I figure that any real-time impact decision would lead either to an
ATO or RTLS. Do you think it should even be considred to attempt RTLS
without knowing exactly if and what damage occured?

I'm not advocating any position over the other, just wonder if it
could, technicaly, be possible.

On 4 Jan 2004 02:54:04 -0800, (Remy Villeneuve) wrote:

Is it possible to install equipment that can positively give enough
information to suspect shielding damage?

I'm curious as to why they can't place cameras aimed at each wing to
provide a live view during ascent (as well as on orbit).

I figure that any real-time impact decision would lead either to an
ATO or RTLS. Do you think it should even be considred to attempt RTLS
without knowing exactly if and what damage occured?

They'd have to be pretty damned certain that there was TPS damage beyond
the possibilty of on-orbit repair (or rescue) before calling an RTLS abort,
I suspect.

Dale

(Remy Villeneuve) wrote in
om:

Would it be possible to detect a wing impact in almost realtime, get
an instant replay from the video sources at slow motion at the time of
impact to the backroom guys, and come up with a decision while in
launch?

Maybe in the loosest technical sense of "possible", but NASA is not even
contemplating using the sensors in that manner.


--
JRF

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check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

"remedy Villeneuve" wrote in message
om...
| Hi,
|
| I read about the wing sensors that would be installed before the
| Return to Flight of the shuttle.
|
| Not specifically for the shuttle, but for any winged spacecraft:
|
| Would it be possible to detect a wing impact in almost realtime, get
| an instant replay from the video sources at slow motion at the time of
| impact to the backroom guys, and come up with a decision while in
| launch?
|
| Is it possible to install equipment that can positively give enough
| information to suspect shielding damage?
|
| I figure that any real-time impact decision would lead either to an
| ATO or RTLS. Do you think it should even be considered to attempt RTLS
| without knowing exactly if and what damage occurred?
|
| I'm not advocating any position over the other, just wonder if it
| could, technically, be possible.
For what it is worth, there are so many maybe's i don't see how anyone could
call it at this stage. I imagine, when you realise that many launch abort
modes have never been attempted, that the bias will be to carry on unless
concrete evidence of bad damage is spotted. After all, if the damage is bad,
you may not be able to fly the thing sufficiently to do the abort manoeuvre!

I would imagine that a great deal will be done to stop anything coming off
the tank during launch, so they can view any damage after the mission and
see if they can figure where it came from, then improve monitoring to spot
it, or improve the adhesion of whatever came off... Something they really
should have done years ago, but I'm not a finger waggler.

It is easy to be wise after the event of course.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
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