Space Shuttle Atlantis - looking good so far!

[Jenn]

Jenn
At a little over 8 minutes, it was doing over 10,000 MPH and when they cut from the pics, it was at 12,000+ MPH
It orbits at 17,000+ MPH's And that's while they do their space walks as well... Amazing...

No kidding! When you watch them they look kind of slow motion.

 

[skapykat]

I was right down there last week for work. I had some extra time after i finished at the shop, so I headed down to Kennedy Space Center. I was kind of bummed when i learned that the lunch was the week after I was there (always seems to work out that way). But just seeing size of the rockets and everything was mind blowing. The space shuttle launch simulator was really neat and explained the whole launch sequence, which i have since forgotten.

 

[willy]

I remember watching a Discovery program about the shuttle.

Loudest sound ever created..which is why they have all that water under the shuttle at lift-off.

 

[Jenn]

I remember watching a Discovery program about the shuttle.

Loudest sound ever created..which is why they have all that water under the shuttle at lift-off.

Huh, I thought it was so it didn't light the launchpad on fire. Probably does both jobs I'd wager, unless the fuel they use isn't water friendly.

 

[.]

Huh, I thought it was so it didn't light the launchpad on fire. Probably does both jobs I'd wager, unless the fuel they use isn't water friendly.

It is actually for sound supression. The water breaks up the sound waves and decreases the sound levels that are reflected back at the Shuttle that can cause damage to the ship and whatever is inside the payload bay.

NASA - Sound Suppression Test Unleashes a Flood

The system was first installed at the pad when reflective energy from the top of the Mobile Launch Platform was causing minor damage to thermal curtains on the SRBs and putting stress on the wings. After adding the system, the sound pressure was reduced by half.

Another link:
NASA - Sound Suppression System

 

[Jenn]

Thanks for those links Brent.

The system includes a 290-foot-high water tank filled with 300,000 gallons of water, and it empties in 41 seconds during a launch. Water pours from 16 nozzles on top of the flame deflectors and from outlets in the Shuttle main engine exhaust hole in the MLP at main engine ignition, which occurs approximately 7 seconds before liftoff.

That's a lot of water being moved!

I was looking at another article

NASA clears landing of space shuttle Atlantis- Hindustan Times

That said they have two shots to try and land it. And looks like both shots are scheduled to be at Kennedy Space Center.

I googled some more and found this article about the landing process. The angles in which they can land, the sounds, and the fact that the sonic boom can carry over the length of florida, depending on the angle.

KSC Fact Sheet "Landing the Space Shuttle Orbiter at KSC"

 

[Ted]

The shuttle is awesome. About eight years ago we saw it traverse the Texas sky at night on approach to Kennedy. It took about three minutes to cross from horizon to horizon.

 

[skapykat]

I do remember them saying that if you were 400 feet away from the shuttle at lift off, the sound could kill you.