Sorry... I'm watching Moonraker again and it got me thinking, but Google was no help.
Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their 747?
- Thread starter BoxWhatBox
- Start date
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
No. The only time it was occupied on top of the 747 was when the original Enterprise was drop-tested.
No. The only time it was occupied on top of the 747 was when the original Enterprise was drop-tested.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
That's right. The orbiter is bolted down, uncrewed and completely powered down. No gliding away from catastrophe should things go wrong.
That's right. The orbiter is bolted down, uncrewed and completely powered down. No gliding away from catastrophe should things go wrong.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
And in addition, it's pretty common for major components like the engines and the OMS pods to be dummies during ferry flights (the real things having been removed for refurbishing, or transfer to another orbiter).
And in addition, it's pretty common for major components like the engines and the OMS pods to be dummies during ferry flights (the real things having been removed for refurbishing, or transfer to another orbiter).
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
Do they still put the tail cone on? Maybe they'd get 10 feet to the gallon then.
On the 747 carrier tail number N905NA, the rear mounting point is labeled with
"ATTACH ORBITER HERE
NOTE: BLACK SIDE DOWN"
Do they still put the tail cone on? Maybe they'd get 10 feet to the gallon then.
On the 747 carrier tail number N905NA, the rear mounting point is labeled with
"ATTACH ORBITER HERE
NOTE: BLACK SIDE DOWN"
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
Damn, and I was already planning the James Bond sequence....
Damn, and I was already planning the James Bond sequence....
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
There's no fuel, Mr. Drax!
There's no fuel, Mr. Drax!
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
Yup. Standard procedure. It keeps the airflow under control in a sensitive area: from the orbiter to the 747's tail.
Yup. Standard procedure. It keeps the airflow under control in a sensitive area: from the orbiter to the 747's tail.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
The guys in Moonraker could have been stowaways but that was one hell of a trick to fire up the main engines without the external fuel tank.
The guys in Moonraker could have been stowaways but that was one hell of a trick to fire up the main engines without the external fuel tank.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
They still get #### mileage. On a trip from Edwards AFB CA back to FL, the 747/Orbiter combo has to refuel three times or more. The 747, by itself, could fly from CA to Europe non-stop.
Should a shuttle ever perform a launch-abort, and be forced to land overseas (most likely Spain or Morocco), the shuttle would likely have to be stripped almost bare to save weight, and the 747/OV stack would still have to go from landing site to London or Belfast, then Iceland, then Greenland, then a couple of stops in Canada, another in the Eastern US, and finally land at Kennedy.
Do they still put the tail cone on? Maybe they'd get 10 feet to the gallon then.
They still get #### mileage. On a trip from Edwards AFB CA back to FL, the 747/Orbiter combo has to refuel three times or more. The 747, by itself, could fly from CA to Europe non-stop.
Should a shuttle ever perform a launch-abort, and be forced to land overseas (most likely Spain or Morocco), the shuttle would likely have to be stripped almost bare to save weight, and the 747/OV stack would still have to go from landing site to London or Belfast, then Iceland, then Greenland, then a couple of stops in Canada, another in the Eastern US, and finally land at Kennedy.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
At that point it may be easier and cheaper to gift the shuttle to that nation as a national gift.
Do we really want it back THAT bad?
Do they still put the tail cone on? Maybe they'd get 10 feet to the gallon then.
They still get #### mileage. On a trip from Edwards AFB CA back to FL, the 747/Orbiter combo has to refuel three times or more. The 747, by itself, could fly from CA to Europe non-stop.
Should a shuttle ever perform a launch-abort, and be forced to land overseas (most likely Spain or Morocco), the shuttle would likely have to be stripped almost bare to save weight, and the 747/OV stack would still have to go from landing site to London or Belfast, then Iceland, then Greenland, then a couple of stops in Canada, another in the Eastern US, and finally land at Kennedy.
At that point it may be easier and cheaper to gift the shuttle to that nation as a national gift.
Do we really want it back THAT bad?
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
So..... What you're saying is.... That the whole scene in the new Superman movie could never have happened?
So..... What you're saying is.... That the whole scene in the new Superman movie could never have happened?
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
don't think that it would quite that easy - you'd first have to get it a port and then onto a ship which would probably have to be a navy ship I'm not sure how will it would go on the deck of a regular cargo ship. Then you'd have to seal up completely and ensure that it's not exposed to the corrisive seawater and sea air then wait at least 3 weeks it to arrive.
don't think that it would quite that easy - you'd first have to get it a port and then onto a ship which would probably have to be a navy ship I'm not sure how will it would go on the deck of a regular cargo ship. Then you'd have to seal up completely and ensure that it's not exposed to the corrisive seawater and sea air then wait at least 3 weeks it to arrive.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
I think sea air would not be too much of a problem really. After all, the shuttles spend weeks on their seaside launch pads before launch.
I wonder, though, if it would even be possible to transport a shuttle from Europe to North America? Wouldn't the distance from the UK or Ireland to Iceland and from Iceland to Greenland and Canada be too big?
It would be great if they could do it: I'm still secretly hoping for a tour of a shuttle past several international airshows, once they're retired...
I think sea air would not be too much of a problem really. After all, the shuttles spend weeks on their seaside launch pads before launch.
I wonder, though, if it would even be possible to transport a shuttle from Europe to North America? Wouldn't the distance from the UK or Ireland to Iceland and from Iceland to Greenland and Canada be too big?
It would be great if they could do it: I'm still secretly hoping for a tour of a shuttle past several international airshows, once they're retired...
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
You could put it on a boat I suppose, but getting the boat out of the White Sands New Mexico landing site with a Shuttle Orbiter on it would be... interesting.
You could put it on a boat I suppose, but getting the boat out of the White Sands New Mexico landing site with a Shuttle Orbiter on it would be... interesting.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
It is certainly possible for the 747 to ferry an Orbiter to Europe though, as Enterprise was taken to the Paris airshow in the early 1980s (and I missed seeing it when it was on display at Southend during the same trip, to my longstanding regret).
Admittedly, that's Enterprise, so a lot of flight systems wouldn't be installed, but the basic weight of the airframe is the same (or, given that OV101 is overweight compared with 103-105, about 10% greater).
Do they still put the tail cone on? Maybe they'd get 10 feet to the gallon then.
They still get #### mileage. On a trip from Edwards AFB CA back to FL, the 747/Orbiter combo has to refuel three times or more. The 747, by itself, could fly from CA to Europe non-stop.
Should a shuttle ever perform a launch-abort, and be forced to land overseas (most likely Spain or Morocco), the shuttle would likely have to be stripped almost bare to save weight, and the 747/OV stack would still have to go from landing site to London or Belfast, then Iceland, then Greenland, then a couple of stops in Canada, another in the Eastern US, and finally land at Kennedy.
It is certainly possible for the 747 to ferry an Orbiter to Europe though, as Enterprise was taken to the Paris airshow in the early 1980s (and I missed seeing it when it was on display at Southend during the same trip, to my longstanding regret).
Admittedly, that's Enterprise, so a lot of flight systems wouldn't be installed, but the basic weight of the airframe is the same (or, given that OV101 is overweight compared with 103-105, about 10% greater).
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
Exactly. After all, how does the US Navy trot carriers around the world with squadrons of fighters and bombers? Also note that aside from the usual methods of preservation, aircraft at sea are routinely washed down with fresh water.
The shuttle could easily fit atop the flight deck of a Nimitz class carrier; however, the challenge would be moving it from shore to the ship. It would be very cool to see it in transit that way, though.
Exactly. After all, how does the US Navy trot carriers around the world with squadrons of fighters and bombers? Also note that aside from the usual methods of preservation, aircraft at sea are routinely washed down with fresh water.
The shuttle could easily fit atop the flight deck of a Nimitz class carrier; however, the challenge would be moving it from shore to the ship. It would be very cool to see it in transit that way, though.
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
At which point is would probably be non-man-rated if for no other reason than Nasa has never dealt with the situation before.
And a moot point since the program is over, finito...
At which point is would probably be non-man-rated if for no other reason than Nasa has never dealt with the situation before.
And a moot point since the program is over, finito...
Re: Does anyone ride in the shuttle when its being ferried atop their
Well usually aircraft etc that are used in a naval environment are designed from the begining to reduce corrosion from salt water (paint, seals etc).
While the launch pads maybe be near the sea, that's not the same as being on the sea with the wind carrying the water, waves breaking etc etc.
Finally the shuttle would have to be washed down very carefully - NASA wouldn't be keen on high preasure hoses been used to spray it down - the risk of damange to the heat absorbant tiiles would be too great.
Well usually aircraft etc that are used in a naval environment are designed from the begining to reduce corrosion from salt water (paint, seals etc).
While the launch pads maybe be near the sea, that's not the same as being on the sea with the wind carrying the water, waves breaking etc etc.
Finally the shuttle would have to be washed down very carefully - NASA wouldn't be keen on high preasure hoses been used to spray it down - the risk of damange to the heat absorbant tiiles would be too great.
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