Space shuttle for space tourism and first stage of a TSTO.

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
dakotatelephone...
Pat Flannery wrote:

My Google-Fu is powerful:
http://home.att.net/~dblawren/images5/piggyback.jpg

Here's another shot showing preparations for the initial lifting operation
from the side, also showing the transport boat tail behind the orbiter:
http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie...r_Columbia.jpg
Here, the transport boat tail is getting ready to be attached:
http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squ...uttleSmall.JPG
And here, the orbiter is getting attached to the 747:
http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squ...7WSMR02003.jpg
It looks like all they have to do is transport the lifting strongback to
the airfield where the Shuttle is at and get a couple of high capacity
cranes to attach to it.

That's it! I bow to your superior Google-Fu. ;-)

I'm sure doing a mate operation this way is a bit unnerving with the
supervisors in charge hoping nothing goes wrong. The appearance of the
regular mate/de-mate hardware makes it look a lot more sturdy than using the
mobile cranes with the mobile mate/de-mate hardware.

Jeff
--
"Take heart amid the deepening gloom
that your dog is finally getting enough cheese" - Deteriorata - National
Lampoon

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
dakotatelephone...
Jeff Findley wrote:
Vital Partnership, NASA and the USAF, Preserving a Legacy (on top of a
picture of the shuttle at the launch pad)
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/sha...100104-030.pdf

Check out the picture of what the inside of the building would look like
(page 9), which is prominently displaying Atlantis in the middle of the
huge Space Gallery. Impressive, no?

Yeah, that would be a good place to display it.
I wonder where they dug up a Titan I at?

Not sure, but the current Space Missiles Gallery is quite impressive to see
in person. Displaying the missiles vertically, in close proximity to each
other, gives you an excellent sense of scale. When you're standing on the
ground (lowest level of the building), they really tower over you. I don't
quite get the same sense of scale when a missile or launch vehicle is
displayed horizontally.

Jeff
--
"Take heart amid the deepening gloom
that your dog is finally getting enough cheese" - Deteriorata - National
Lampoon

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
dakotatelephone...
Jeff Findley wrote:

That's it! I bow to your superior Google-Fu. ;-)

I'm sure doing a mate operation this way is a bit unnerving with the
supervisors in charge hoping nothing goes wrong. The appearance of the
regular mate/de-mate hardware makes it look a lot more sturdy than using
the mobile cranes with the mobile mate/de-mate hardware.

I was surprised to see the transport boat tail was in multiple parts, but
I imagine that's for ease of transport.
I wonder if it comes to the landing site in the same aircraft that carries
the strongback, or by truck or rail?

I'm pretty sure it comes in the C-5 with the strongback.


To me it looks like the major challenge is parking the cranes in such a
way that they don't collide with the 747 when it moves into position
between them.

Yeah...

Pat

Jeff Findley wrote:

That's it! I bow to your superior Google-Fu. ;-)

I'm sure doing a mate operation this way is a bit unnerving with the
supervisors in charge hoping nothing goes wrong. The appearance of the
regular mate/de-mate hardware makes it look a lot more sturdy than using the
mobile cranes with the mobile mate/de-mate hardware.

I was surprised to see the transport boat tail was in multiple parts,
but I imagine that's for ease of transport.
I wonder if it comes to the landing site in the same aircraft that
carries the strongback, or by truck or rail?
To me it looks like the major challenge is parking the cranes in such a
way that they don't collide with the 747 when it moves into position
between them.

Pat

Jeff Findley wrote:
Not sure, but the current Space Missiles Gallery is quite impressive to see
in person. Displaying the missiles vertically, in close proximity to each
other, gives you an excellent sense of scale. When you're standing on the
ground (lowest level of the building), they really tower over you. I don't
quite get the same sense of scale when a missile or launch vehicle is
displayed horizontally.

I noted in the photo that they have a Minuteman III, but do they also
have a Minuteman I & II?
I imagine this got destroyed, but the full scale mock-up of the early
DynaSoar on its Titan I booster:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uId5m...eature=related *
....really would have looked great in that collection, as would the
Boeing full scale mock-up of the finished design.

* In part 2 of that series you get to see a large scale model Titan
I/DynaSoar being elevated out of a Titan I silo, reminding you that at
this point in its development this is still very much a strategic
weapon's system.
I posted these earlier to sci.space.history, but since this is going to
multiple newsgroups, here are the X-20 DynaSoar videos on YouTube:
Four videos about research on the design, including a full-scale Titan
I/early DynaSoar mock-up in part three, and testing of the aerodynamics
in part four:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjIvB... B7661&index=0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkQnO...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uId5m...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSe9D...eature=related
Astronauts Grissom, Schirra, and Armstrong try the Dynasoar cockpit on
for size: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7mRX...eature=related
Boeing unveils the mock-up of the final design:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bn5A0oNpuM
Air Force progress report on X-20 project, parts one and two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drfcr...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muNYh...eature=related
Plans for orbital test launch on Titan III:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Gcj...eature=related
Two part USAF feature showing animated X-20/Titan I mission:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpO5q...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1spbZ...eature=related
DynaSoar docking with S-IV stage based space station:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sO8...eature=related
DynaSoar on recon mission:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgYSg...eature=related

Pat

Greg D. Moore (Strider) wrote:
To me it looks like the major challenge is parking the cranes in such a
way that they don't collide with the 747 when it moves into position
between them.

Yeah...

Can you imagine dropping the orbiter somehow?
"Gentlemen...our NASA careers are now
officially...100%...completely...ended." :-D
And I bet they thought about that every time they hoisted the orbiter up
with that gizmo.
What's NASA got in mind for the carrier 747's after the Shuttle is
retired? They must have quite a few years on them by now.

Pat

Pat Flannery wrote:

To me it looks like the major challenge is parking the cranes in such a
way that they don't collide with the 747 when it moves into position
between them.

Wasn't it you who posted just a few days ago in another thread a
picture showing what NASA employees consider to be the major challenge.
Having the proper side of the shuttle facing down :-)


Alain Fournier

Alain Fournier wrote:

Wasn't it you who posted just a few days ago in another thread a
picture showing what NASA employees consider to be the major challenge.
Having the proper side of the shuttle facing down :-)

Trying to place it on top of the 747 on a windy day could be fun from a
tile damage point of view.
I was thinking about that lifting system earlier today, and I wondered
when they retract the landing gear on the orbiter before hanging it
under the cranes and hoisting it over the 747?
Do they get it slightly off the ground by jacks inserted into the three
747 attachment points, put the gear up, and then lift it off of the
jacks and onto the 747 with the strongback?

Pat

On Jan 12, 12:25*am, Pat Flannery wrote:
Alain Fournier wrote:

Wasn't it you who posted just a few days ago in another thread a
picture showing what NASA employees consider to be the major challenge.
Having the proper side of the shuttle facing down *:-)

Trying to place it on top of the 747 on a windy day could be fun from a
tile damage point of view.
I was thinking about that lifting system earlier today, and I wondered
when they retract the landing gear *on the orbiter before hanging it
under the cranes and hoisting it over the 747?
Do they get it slightly off the ground by jacks inserted into the three
* 747 attachment points, put the gear up, and then lift it off of the
jacks and onto the 747 with the strongback?

Pat

They retract the gear after it is lifted by the cranes.

Me wrote:

They retract the gear after it is lifted by the cranes.

Is it done from the ground, or is someone in the Shuttle cockpit that
does it?

Pat