What is Digg?197 Comments
- Arock66, on 04/03/2008, -2/+239That was a lot cooler than I was expecting.
- itzdiceman, on 04/03/2008, -3/+198I wish we put more money into the space program. It's so much cooler than Iraq.
- nunquam, on 04/03/2008, -3/+89There's been a lot of Shuttle porn on digg lately. The take off video is still my favourite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yqdf6chs_c
- martynda, on 04/03/2008, -3/+47So that's why the launch platform has that huge thing on the left side! I had no idea the payload gets inserted at the launchpad.
- one1plus1one, on 04/03/2008, -1/+41We probably could have established a base on the moon for the price the USA is paying for the Iraq war.
We could have thrown in other missions as well, such as a submarine mission to the ocean that is likely awaiting us under Jupiter's moon Europa, and perhaps even a human mission to one of Mars' moons, or extra funding for the private space-tourism industry. - lburgguy, on 04/03/2008, -0/+34Why did it take 20 years for me to see cool pics of the Shuttle like that??
- Slowface, on 04/03/2008, -0/+32I'd like to see an assembly manual for that:
"Congratulations on purchasing your very own space shuttle Discovery!
Step 1: After lifting external tank (A) to vertical position, attach your solid rockets (B,C) (sold separately) ..." - ghaltmann, on 04/03/2008, -3/+31Space is so rad.
- bbhart, on 04/03/2008, -1/+25VAB = Vehicle Assembly Building... not Vertical
Nice pics, though. - inactive, on 04/03/2008, -2/+25Tag for Pic 15
"Guess were I'm calling from" - mahdaeng, on 04/03/2008, -0/+21Shuttle porn?
- DarKnight90, on 04/03/2008, -1/+17Best post on Digg today.
- seantubridy, on 04/03/2008, -0/+15What an amazing piece of machinery. Looking at how complex all that is, it's amazing that things don't go wrong more often than they do.
- madmax85, on 04/03/2008, -0/+15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Atlantis_on_Shu ...
- yngtimmy, on 04/03/2008, -0/+15Amazing how big everything is, and how every piece of equipment is custom made specifically for each job it does. I know she's almost 30 years old but I will miss seeing it launch. Somehow a rocket doesn't hold the awe of the space shuttle.
- FloMonster, on 04/03/2008, -0/+14My favorite shuttle-related pic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Shuttle_mountin ...
I love engineer humor. - TimmyA, on 04/03/2008, -0/+11Yeah, that's the Rotating Service Structure. It's also used to protect the Orbiter from weather, etc.
Here you go: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/r ... - fandyboy, on 04/03/2008, -1/+11I don't think a hard hat is going to be much use if a space shuttle lands on your face.
- directive0, on 04/03/2008, -0/+10You know, I'm going to miss the shuttles when they're retired. It's actually a very beautiful airframe.
- directive0, on 04/03/2008, -1/+10Hot or not, she's got a cooler job then you do!
- joe122370, on 04/03/2008, -3/+12I believe, for you people who attended public schools, that MS is an abbreviation for Mississippi
- thedogfatherx, on 04/03/2008, -0/+9I love these kinds of submissions. Thanks!
- sjdillard, on 04/03/2008, -0/+8it's just you
- tinkafoo, on 04/03/2008, -2/+10I expected a Reliant Robin in there somewhere.
(That's what I get for watching too much British television..) - carnag3aus, on 04/03/2008, -0/+8Thanks for posting, it is pretty incredible if you ask me.
- IphtashuFitz, on 04/03/2008, -0/+7Interesting. I always assumed that the payload was installed into the shuttle while in the vertical assembly building. The photos show that the payload is brought out to the launchpad in its own container and hoisted into the launch assembly before the shuttle is brought out to the pad. So payloads are installed after the shuttle is at the pad.
- vroom101, on 04/03/2008, -0/+7High-res look-down from 525 feet (160 meters) at Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-79) atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP): http://chamorrobible.org/images/photos/gpw-2005112 ...
via photo 3 -> http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm - shaymein, on 04/03/2008, -1/+7i was wondering the same thing... no hard hats... but.. considering anything that would fall from those ceilings or shuttle parts would probably crush you completely...
- warp25, on 04/03/2008, -0/+6but they'll have a few screws leftover at the end... then what do you do?
- synyster, on 04/03/2008, -0/+6amazed by those engineering works, i can only say EPIC!
- Misogyny, on 04/03/2008, -0/+5Put 'em in the box with all the leftover heat-tiles and o-rings.
- FenrisUlf, on 04/03/2008, -0/+5Yeah, I'm surprised too, I always thought they loaded the payload in the VAB. Reading the NASA link, I guess it streamlines the assembly process, and because they already needed a structure like that for various umbilicals. It also keeps the payload away from the Florida climate, no reason to have to design them to handle both space *and* swamp weather.
- bfron110, on 04/03/2008, -0/+5I have seen the VAB building in person, and these pictures dont give the size of the building any justice.
Excerpt from wiki:
"One indicator of the building's scale is that each of the stars on the American flag painted on the building is 6 feet (1.83 m) across, the blue field is the size of a regulation basketball court, and the stripes are as wide as a standard road lane. The flag is 209 feet (63.70 m) high, and 110 feet (33.53 m) wide, and was added in 1976 as part of United States Bicentennial celebrations, along with the star logo of the anniversary, later replaced by the NASA logo. The interior volume of the building is so vast, NASA employees have reported it has its own weather, "NASA employees report that rain clouds form below the ceiling on very humid days."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Assembly_Buil ... - burnin8r28, on 04/03/2008, -0/+5this is a good one too:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=f2b1D5w82yU
btw thats a rickroll...this reply section felt empty - BenKenobi88, on 04/03/2008, -0/+5Pretty sure any accident with NASA will be an expensive one...
- mrSt1klBak, on 04/03/2008, -0/+5My eyes! The goggles do nothing!
- poopz, on 04/03/2008, -1/+6did a private company land on the moon? nope
federal tax dollars accomplished it. we can do great things if we have the right focus (as opposed to starting some stupid war in the middle east, etc etc) - lilSears, on 04/03/2008, -0/+4Seriously. It boggles my mind how we're able to do this time and time again with ridiculous reliability. It seems impossible to do all this. Replacing those horribly complicated engines, ripping apart the shuttle and putting it all back together and keeping everything under control during launch.
- BTConan, on 04/03/2008, -0/+4I was just about to ask you, actually. You're two steps ahead of me.
- DrivinWest, on 04/03/2008, -0/+4Sorry for being a total pedant, but the "New Module for ISS" is actually an MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module). It's designed to transfer cargo to the ISS. While it does attach to the ISS for the duration of a shuttle mission, it is not intended for permanent on-orbit operation (although some at NASA are looking to leave one attached once the shuttle program is over).
Awesome pics, BTW. I've been lucky enough to be on the launch pad with the shuttle there and even got to climb in the mid-deck during pre-launch outfitting. I also got to sit in the pilot's seat of Atlantis during between-flight processing. Working in the space program doesn't pay much but the perks are second to none! - charlie763, on 04/03/2008, -1/+5I like this one: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/E30TECH/shut ...
And I can't talk on my mobile phone while driving? - warp25, on 04/03/2008, -0/+4Far out... it blows my mind how much engineering was needed just to assemble the shuttle. That's not even counting the people that design that thing in the first place.
Looks like my dream of having a transformable Mecha in my lifetime faaaaar away.. sigh. - Spartandog, on 04/03/2008, -0/+4Wow, the sheer scale of things at NASA! People wonder why it's so expensive to send anything into space. Just the fact that you have to build special cranes to move those large parts alone must cost millions, plus all the crew to build those parts and keep them running. Factor in the engineers, scientists and maintenance, the outside contractors, the fuel for all those vehicles, and I haven't even mentioned the actual shuttle yet. Mind-boggling.
- nedev, on 04/03/2008, -1/+5NASA is "corrupt and wasteful" now? Let's not forget basic research is one of the classic market failures, and most of space flight research still falls in that category.
- Treason, on 04/03/2008, -1/+4WITH MY CAR OLOLOLOL
- casuallyevil, on 04/03/2008, -1/+4Well, it USED to be called the vertical assembly building - so it's kind of the opposite of n00b.
- Flatlineskillz, on 04/03/2008, -0/+3Anyone else think its strange how beat up the bottom part of the shuttle looks in the 17th Pic from the top right before its lifted up and attached to the SRBs and ET? Thats where its exposed to the majority of the heat of re-entry IIRC. It looks like its covered in bird crap.
- inactive, on 04/03/2008, -0/+334.
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