Ferdi I can’t agree with you more! I must have just watched them fire up 20 times in a row. I never grow tired of seeing and hearing that raw power. Amazing machine. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The RS-25s were a joke. They can't air start, their injectors are prone to fail and break off, and their refurbishment costs after each launch are more expensive than simply throwing them away like a Saturn V F-1 engine.
@@magicstix0rThe "joke" is on you pal. 135 flights - never a catastrophic failure, the most efficient powerplants ever built of their kind. The F1's are nice but work once and tossed in the ocean - talk about a waste - I do agree the maintenance for the RS-25's was far more than foreseen originally however. The Rocketdyne team should be very proud of the RS-25's performance in the shuttle program.
@@greggriffin3998 How cute you don't know your history. The only reason the failures that did occur with the RS-25s weren't catastrophic is because of dumb luck. If they hadn't disabled the safety systems during Challenger's ATO it would have killed the crew, and Columbia's engine could have easily exploded or shut down during STS-93, which also would have been a LOCV accident. Efficiency is meaningless when your rocket engines cost more to refurbish than to build new ones. The Shuttle program was the worst thing to ever happen to manned spaceflight. It set humanity back decades and was the deadliest, highest rate of failure in any man-rated spacecraft.
Incredible engineering. I never witnessed a shuttle launch. But I did see Apollo 11 launch. I was just a 9 year old kid. That launch was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. I can still remember feeling that power. The ground shook like an earthquake. I knew it was something special, even though I was only 9. Still gives me chills.
This is a very brilliant video of Space Shuttle Atlantis take off for another mission! I´m 55 years old and I still remember Apollo 11 to take off to the moon with a weight of unbelievable 3000 Tons (the weight of 1500 medium cars!) and watch Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin to be first man on the moon, and also a few more landings on the moon! A decade later when I was 19 years old, I could watch the first Space Shuttle Columbia to go to its first flight on 12. April 1981, and I think all these programs were just great! Sadly, there is no more Space Shuttle, the World is just depending on the Russia Space Program, but however all Astronauts worldwide became friends long time ago, I think for astronauts there are no borders, no walls and no barriers - they feel as one community in space!! May all people on earth feel as one community, and if so, the world would be just great, this planet would provide enough space, energy, material and a good living for all if just wanted by all Governments! Let us all pray!
@@magicstix0r dude it launched like a rocket and landed like an airplane. It was pretty neat. Sure it had its flaws… what doesn’t, especially from that era.
@@EagleLogic "Sure it had its flaws..." It LITERALLY killed more people than ALL OTHER SPACECRAFT COMBINED. It was so expensive it killed manned spaceflight for 40 years.
As an English man, i give look of stick about America, but i can honestly so, if i was American, would have nothing but pure pride for my country for the space program, what a beautiful and amazing piece of engineering, i would give my left testicle to come to America and watch one of those things take off, Truly spectacular
My cousin was an Astronaut and I was fortunate enough to see his first launch. I went to another a few years later but there was an issue with one of the main engines at like T-9 seconds and they scrubbed the launch for a few weeks and we couldn't stay.
@trechan The SRBs (the white rockets that fall off at 2 minutes after liftoff) spew the chemicals. The engines on the space shuttle orbiter (the space plane) use LOX and LH2, which are provided by the big orange tank (officially referred to as the external tank).
Smoke goes one direction right before the liftoff because thats when the boosters ignite. The smoke or exhaust is channeled so it doesnt cause damage to the rocket and so video can be taken to see performance. If that doesnt answer your question, then I dont think you know what your asking.
A pleasure listening to calm, professional and dignified commentary. Unlike the Space X launches commentated by fanboys barely containing their exuberance.
Those are thruster rain covers used on the ground to keep moisture out of the thruster valve. They are made to come off at ignition and the ones on the nose after a few seconds of flight. If moisture gets in, it soon freezes which could cause the valve not to work correctly.
@TrueWillz The shuttle only experiences about 3 to 3.1 G's at peak levels. If you've ever ridden the carnival ride known as The Gravitron, also known as Starship 2000 and currently as the Starship 3000, you've experiences the exact same G's as the shuttle does (3 G's).
It is amazing to see this wonderful space craft have been flying for nearly 30 years. It is awesome to see this giant being lifted off and being shot into space with speed of sound. When a science technology manifest it's beauty... what's better than this miraculous view of U.S. Space Shuttle launch ? After so many years of watching it, still bring tears to my eyes. Now thanks to HD, every details come in full splendor. America the Great, God Bless America !! Yeah !!
@TehPiester456 Not really, because they dump all of that water, about 300,000 gallons onto the pad to help dampen the sound and help keep the pad cool. There's always some damage, but much less than if there were no water at all.
@ZaneKaminski If they're going to the ISS, the trajectory is pretty much the same. It does vary only slightly though. If going to Hubble (which is what happened for this particular mission), the orbit and altitude is notably different. (orbital inclination for Hubble is 28 degrees, ISS is 51 degrees, altitude of Hubble is about 350 miles, ISS is about 220 miles))
@HaloMontageMaterial Plus X. As in +X, which means fire the Orbital Maneuvering Engines to accelerate the orbiter a bit along the X axis (towards the nose) to separate farther from the external tank to take photographs of the tank.
Really neat watching launches as a kid in the 1980's. Made me feel proud to be an American. Does any one else feel like we have done it all? Nothing to look forward to?
@andysim232 they don't have to replace thousands after every launch, but they do have to inspect the tiles. They also have to inspect the internal stuff, like the SSME's. The turbopumps in the SSME's push LOX and hydrogen through at about 200,000 RPM'swinged spacecraft are too expensive and there's no demand for it after the shuttle program is done building the ISS.
@m0kkaleiavbrukernavn As far as I am aware, the Hubble flights flying out on a 28.5 degree equatorial inclination passed out of range of the camera transmission, thus causing the camera to drop out before MECO. On most of the ISS flights on a 51.6 degree inclination, the camera remained within range, thus providing a good signal through ET separation. It might also have something to with the TDRS network as mentioned before, but I'm not so familiar with that configuration.
@coptersoisoi MECO stands for Main Engine Cut Off. It's when the three main engines are shut down about 8 1/2 minutes after launch. The empty external tank is jettisoned shortly afterward and reenters the atmosphere, breaking up and landing in the Indian Ocean.
@nenblom MECO is Main Engine Cut Off. When the orbiter is officially in space. The crew (and everything else aboard) are weightless (and in freefall) at MECO.
@AtlantisB737 The keys would burn up on reentry and though highly unlikely, if any of the bits did happen to survive the descent, they'd most likely fall into the ocean. Remember, the orbiter's traveling about 17,500 mph. everything they throw overboard is moving at about that speed too, until hitting the atmosphere or accelerating under its own power.
@eagled96 Once it leaves the ground it doesn't have to. The supports on the ground support the weight of both the shuttle and external tank. You'll notice the shuttle has thrusters of it's own that are firing. Those thrusters support the weight of the shuttle rather than those apparently flimsy bars connecting the two :)
@gapsinteeth123 That vapor is gaseous oxygen venting from some vent lines on each of the engines. It's also the same vapor that vents from the very tip top of the orange tank (External Tank) up until about 2 minutes before launch.
there is a deflector in the bottom of the launch pad that shoots the engine exhaust and steam from the sound suppression system out to the side, if this was not done the shuttle would have been damaged by its own engine exhaust when the shuttle engines are ignited and brought to full power before the solid rockets ignite
@darkreaper2828 That's froam shedding from the external tank being caught up a bit in the turbulent slipstream. While it may look like they're in space, they're still in the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
@Dsmpsn63 Actually, they do land in the Atlantic, about 150 miles off the coast of Florida. The external tank used to break up and fall into the Indian Ocean, but that doesn't happen for ISS flights; it falls into the Pacific on ISS flights.
That was the announcer who would later cover Atlantis mission STS-129: "Kicking off their work week with a Monday commute to orbit...Atlantis steering into the center lane of Highway 129 en route to the International Space Station..."He made it sound like the ISS was in Jacksonville. This guy is boss :D
That is part of the OMS system, they are the nozzles for the small thrusters the shuttle uses to maneuver with in orbit. You are seeing the covers burst from the pressure wave of engine ignition. That is what they are suppose to do, as they are there just to keep debris and animals out of the thrusters before liftoff
@Hoffy490 Frozen air or nitrogen. The engines are already cooled down by circulating the liquid hydrogen fuel and purged by nitrogen which is very cold when exiting the engine bell which causes the air to freeze instantly.
@SoullessTemptation They land about 150 miles off the coast of Florida, are picked up, cleaned, shipped back to the manufacturer to be reused again on a later flight.
@yoalexx21 They don't come anywhere near a populated area during the launch, and if they did, the range safety system would be activated, destroying the boosters before they got close enough to be a hazard. Plus, it's like a professional dart player throwing darts. They always land within a few of miles of the predicted target. The boosters hit the water consistently about 150 miles off the coast of Florida.
@trechan The smoke from the white rockets (SRBs)? or the exhaust from the orbiter engines? If from the orbiter engines, it's literally nothing more than water vapor. The solid rocket booster (SRB) exhaust is hydrochloric acid and other chemicals.
@duduspp The forces in the rocket are about 3 to 3.1 times normal weight (called G's). If the shuttle accelerated any faster, it would start to fail. If you've ever ridden the ride called the Gravitron, or Starship 2000 or Starship 3000, you've experienced the same acceleration as the space shuttle does. Pretty cool, eh?
Done it all? Never! Nothing to look forward to? Hardly! That's the cool thing about space exploration, it's neverending. Haven't you heard about the Mission to Mars projects? The technology behind it is in progress as we speak/type, so exciting! Loved this launch and so grateful all went well!
@coptersoisoi The three main engines are affixed to the back end of the space shuttle orbiter (the thing with wings). The orange tank (called an external tank) is literally nothing more than an oxidizer tank and fuel tank shaped into an aerodynamic shape, which carries the weight of the orbiter and boosters until SRB separation and MECO. What @rotorznwingz said otherwise is correct.
@coptersoisoi A transducer is a sensor (in this case hydrogen pressure sounds like; there are LOTS of them). By carefully cross-checking other indications, it can be determined if there is supporting evidence of a systems problem requiring remedial action or simply an indication malfunction, which is what is indicated here. The external tank (not the main rocket) is released after MECO (main engine cut-off) and is not recovered. The TAL (transatlantic abort) was named as Moron AB Spain
Beggining from 02:50 till 03:30 I thought my speakers membrane will blow out of the SRB sount - this is the only STS video recorded with such audio quality I ever encountered.
@slushomatic No, low earth orbit is between 200 and 1400 kilometers. Geosynchronous orbits have a orbital period of one day and usually are circular orbits 36.000 kilometers above the equator (also called geostationary orbit).
@101andrewj At this stage of rocket evolution the propellant (propellant is fuel AND oxidizer) is the cheapest part about a rocket. LOX is about 33 cents per gallon, LH2 is about 35 cents per gallon (US money). Statistically, both Soyuz and shuttle have a 2% rate of Loss of Crew. The shuttle flights just have about 50k lbs of "unusable" cargo they have to take with on every flight (wings and tail). They're getting rid of the shuttle because it's 30 years old and it's time to improve.
@StephanSteijger It takes two days. It gives the crew a chance to configure for orbit and recover from any space sickness that may occur upon initial orbital insertion.
soo the solid rocket boosters drop off at 100095 Feet of alt (31.5km) 4:02 and the large external orange fuel tank needed to hold up 3 times the strength of gravity?
I often look at these Men and Women with awe! The thousands of hours spent training and even then, few are chosen. Agree with many of you that it is indeed sad that the age of human exploration of space may soon be at and end. However it would have never been possible without the hard work, bravery, and sacrifice (Challenger and Columbia) of these incredible individuals.
4:05 - Watch the shuttle adjust it's course slightly as the guidance system, which operated _open loop_ during the 1st stage, has transitioned to _closed loop_ and converged guidance is achieved a few moments after SRB separation.
*Closed Loop verses Open Loop* Modern cruise control in your car is a _closed loop_ system. That means that the system actively monitors the speed of the car dynamically as long as cruise control is engaged. If you set the cruise control at a specific speed, and then car goes down hill, the car will back off the accelerator to try to maintain the speed you set. If the car goes uphill, the system will increase the accelerator to attempt to maintain the speed you set. After World War II, automobile manufacturers began developing cruise control systems. These early cruise control system prototypes were _open loop_. This meant that when you set a speed, the car simply maintained the accelerator setting. It did not monitor the vehicle speed dynamically. It worked fine along level grades. However, if the car went down hill/up hill, the car sped up/slowed down, effectively ignoring the speed setting the driver made. These _open loop_ developmental prototype cruise control systems were *static*, whereas today's closed loop systems are *dynamic*. *Shuttle Guidance Modes During Ascent* The shuttle's guidance system operates _open loop_ during the first stage (from liftoff to SRB separation). During this open loop mode, the guidance system follows a *static* sequence of actions based upon time and velocity performance data. It issues steering commands based upon these factors. During this open loop mode (major mode 102), the guidance system is _not_ issuing steering commands based upon dynamically calculated navigational and guidance data, it is simply following a static pre-programmed sequence of actions. When staging occurs (SRB separation), the guidance system switches to a _closed loop_ mode (major mode 103). In this case, _closed loop_ indicates that the guidance system operates based upon *dynamically* calculated navigational and guidance system data and a guidance solution. First, the navigation system determines the orbiter's current location, and then the guidance system dynamically calculates a solution to get to the orbiter's precise pre-orbit entry point at main engine cutoff (MECO). So, it basically asks itself, "Where am I now, and how do I get to my precise pre-orbit entry point at MECO?" The guidance system calculates recursively until the guidance solution reached is at or below an acceptable 2 percent error rate. This is repeated until the guidance solution error rate falls at or below 2 percent consistently. Once the solution is repeatedly at or below the 2 percent error rate, the solution is referred to as: _converged guidance_. Having achieved converged guidance, the guidance system operating in closed loop mode, now begins steering the shuttle to follow the solution profile. This is what you see happening at 4:05 in the video. The guidance system dynamically navigates and issues corresponding steering commands throughout the remainder of the ascent.
@m0kkaleiavbrukernavn That has to do with the camera iris. When you iris a camera down the sky will look darker. Due to the nature of shuttle and rocket launches the iris needs to be all over the board depending on if you want the fire to be lit correctly or if you want the vehicle lit correctly. The shaking will depend on what surface the camera is mounted to. The shuttle can travel in and out of ground station downlinks. They have something called TDRS to help wit that.
Well, we'll see what the Augustine Commission says about it, but the crib notes are that the HST has already had its final servicing missing, Russia and SpaceX can bring people/supplies to the ISS and NASA needs to rebuild the launch pads for the Constellation project so they don't want the shuttle in the way while they do that.
Well it may seem illogical, but if thought about space travel has paid it's dues. Given that space research has provided better understanding of and profoundly delivered to the public, communication, science, and interest will explode as a result. I understand society has problems, but communication is the best tool. You and I both communicate with the population, compliments of space exploration.
I would say it has something to due to the fact that the Hubble orbits near the edge of the shuttles max operational altitude. The shuttle would have to launch to a slightly higher apogee so the demand on OMS fuel is lower for orbit with HST. I figure thats the reason the video cut out early.. I'd have to cross check between 2 separate flight plans.. Let me read through a few flight plans and run them on the sim too... I'll have an official answer in a couple days
@spacevidcast ok so I understand the water sound suppression system and I think the idea is genius. When you say the SRBs are spewing out chemicals, are you talking about after or before the launch? I thought that they use LOx for fuels.
@coptersoisoi I just recently watched another STS launch and the commentator/speaker stated that an alternate landing (emergency) is some place in Spain. This is if they're too far to land in Florida.
@TheEverlastingSM How do you get a 150 ton fuel tank to space and connect it to the shuttle's main propulsion system? How would the orbiter handle the thermal condition on the way to the moon (100% sunlit vs. 50% sunlit in orbit)? How would the orbiter survive a 25,000mph reentry vs. 17,500mph from earth's orbit (that's TWICE the energy)? And remember, we were just talking about an "Apollo 13 style slingshot" around the moon! In short terms: No, it's not possible.
Ok, at 2:35 the rockets throttle down (Max Q?) to reduce the pressure on the structural integrity, but at 2:53 the guy goes "go at throttle up..... my question is, if you throttle down to reduce the pressure on the rocket and throttle back up, wont the same amount of pressure return on the rocket's structure?
well the shuttle is supposed to be replaced by a twin system. instead of the shuttle which carries both crew and payload, there will be basically an enlarged version of the external tank (with it's own engines now) and the srbs with a second stage and payload fairing or crew module added on. so in a sense, it is bigger. but it's not the same concept as the shuttle. but what really interesting to me is that they're going back to early nasa designs (even the heat shield is the same from apollo).
@Eagle1Division2 A fully fueled ET weights around 700 tons, how on earth do you get THAT to orbit? The biggest "heavy lift" launchers of today have between 20 and 25 tons, the Saturn V had 130 tons lift capacity to low orbit.
8:06 is the tank frozen? i did know that they have to bring it down to 0k.. and i know that there can be ice on that tank :D but it looks like in my fridge :D ..well my fridge is worse but nvm
@wolfe1970 It's more like 2.5 million moving parts for the entire shuttle stackk.. The orbiter alone had 2 million. Your motorbike doesn't operate between -380F and +200F in the span of 9 minutes. Nor does it need redundant systems to keep the crew of 7 alive, safe, and able to return home without facing exposure to radiation and vacuum.
The Three Main Engines roaring to life is the most beautiful thing I haver ever heard & seen in my life.
37 MILLION horsepower in those babies.
Ferdi
I can’t agree with you more! I must have just watched them fire up 20 times in a row. I never grow tired of seeing and hearing that raw power. Amazing machine. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The RS-25s were a joke. They can't air start, their injectors are prone to fail and break off, and their refurbishment costs after each launch are more expensive than simply throwing them away like a Saturn V F-1 engine.
@@magicstix0rThe "joke" is on you pal. 135 flights - never a catastrophic failure, the most efficient powerplants ever built of their kind. The F1's are nice but work once and tossed in the ocean - talk about a waste - I do agree the maintenance for the RS-25's was far more than foreseen originally however. The Rocketdyne team should be very proud of the RS-25's performance in the shuttle program.
@@greggriffin3998 How cute you don't know your history. The only reason the failures that did occur with the RS-25s weren't catastrophic is because of dumb luck. If they hadn't disabled the safety systems during Challenger's ATO it would have killed the crew, and Columbia's engine could have easily exploded or shut down during STS-93, which also would have been a LOCV accident. Efficiency is meaningless when your rocket engines cost more to refurbish than to build new ones. The Shuttle program was the worst thing to ever happen to manned spaceflight. It set humanity back decades and was the deadliest, highest rate of failure in any man-rated spacecraft.
Incredible engineering. I never witnessed a shuttle launch. But I did see Apollo 11 launch. I was just a 9 year old kid. That launch was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. I can still remember feeling that power. The ground shook like an earthquake. I knew it was something special, even though I was only 9. Still gives me chills.
Those rockets lighting is simply amazing. Pure mechanical turbopumping, physical beauty and natural power. The literal triumph of man over physics.
Not overcoming physics - WIELDING physics.
The sound those three RS-25’s make upon start up is something else.
This is a very brilliant video of Space Shuttle Atlantis take off for another mission! I´m 55 years old and I still remember Apollo 11 to take off to the moon with a weight of unbelievable 3000 Tons (the weight of 1500 medium cars!) and watch Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin to be first man on the moon, and also a few more landings on the moon!
A decade later when I was 19 years old, I could watch the first Space Shuttle Columbia to go to its first flight on 12. April 1981, and I think all these programs were just great!
Sadly, there is no more Space Shuttle, the World is just depending on the Russia Space Program, but however all Astronauts worldwide became friends long time ago, I think for astronauts there are no borders, no walls and no barriers - they feel as one community in space!!
May all people on earth feel as one community, and if so, the world would be just great, this planet would provide enough space, energy, material and a good living for all if just wanted by all Governments!
Let us all pray!
That's not equal.
"SRB joint heaters..."
Certainly something that was learned the hard way.
Such an amazing vehicle. Hard to believe its 1970's technology. Got to see this launch from the Clarion Inn across the Indian River.
The shuttle program was so badass.
I think you mean "bad, and ass."
@@magicstix0r dude it launched like a rocket and landed like an airplane. It was pretty neat. Sure it had its flaws… what doesn’t, especially from that era.
@@EagleLogic "Sure it had its flaws..."
It LITERALLY killed more people than ALL OTHER SPACECRAFT COMBINED.
It was so expensive it killed manned spaceflight for 40 years.
It amazes me how quick it goes from the launch pad to outer space. 8 minutes is pretty quick for that.
That was a really really fast roll/pitch maneuver. I've never seen any other launch turn as soon as this.
it really never ceases to amaze and thrill me-- the power and precision of these flights. Humans--we have our moments of greatness, dont we?!
Very good and clear video.You can truly appreciate the speed of the shuttle.Thanks for sharing.
As an English man, i give look of stick about America, but i can honestly so, if i was American, would have nothing but pure pride for my country for the space program, what a beautiful and amazing piece of engineering, i would give my left testicle to come to America and watch one of those things take off, Truly spectacular
Wish i could have seen a launch in person before they retired the fleet. Was never able to make it though. =(
was awsome ground rumbles under your feet
atomicdeath10 - Go see SLS lift off. It'll be pretty similar.
My cousin was an Astronaut and I was fortunate enough to see his first launch. I went to another a few years later but there was an issue with one of the main engines at like T-9 seconds and they scrubbed the launch for a few weeks and we couldn't stay.
Me to
@@djbeezy what space shuttle mission was it?
lol the birds at 1:53 were like "shit fly man its alive!!"
Haha, understandable reaction.
lmao
I'm a RUclips comment junkie. Your comment is one of the best I've read. I literally laughed out loud. Also, kudos for even seeing the birds.
XD
Lol
@trechan The SRBs (the white rockets that fall off at 2 minutes after liftoff) spew the chemicals. The engines on the space shuttle orbiter (the space plane) use LOX and LH2, which are provided by the big orange tank (officially referred to as the external tank).
@Olebruc No, they're using a wide angle lens for the launch. It's not that high yet. MECO (Main Engine CutOff) is about 67 miles, or 105 km high.
I just can't get enough of the space shuttles main engines firing up! Great to watch this in HD. TURN UP YOUR SOUND :D
Smoke goes one direction right before the liftoff because thats when the boosters ignite. The smoke or exhaust is channeled so it doesnt cause damage to the rocket and so video can be taken to see performance. If that doesnt answer your question, then I dont think you know what your asking.
Absolutely breath taking. Thx for the upload. Never get sick of watching that
A pleasure listening to calm, professional and dignified commentary. Unlike the Space X launches commentated by fanboys barely containing their exuberance.
Those are thruster rain covers used on the ground to keep moisture out of the thruster valve. They are made to come off at ignition and the ones on the nose after a few seconds of flight. If moisture gets in, it soon freezes which could cause the valve not to work correctly.
@TrueWillz The shuttle only experiences about 3 to 3.1 G's at peak levels. If you've ever ridden the carnival ride known as The Gravitron, also known as Starship 2000 and currently as the Starship 3000, you've experiences the exact same G's as the shuttle does (3 G's).
It is amazing to see this wonderful space craft have been flying for nearly 30 years. It is awesome to see this giant being lifted off and being shot into space with speed of sound. When a science technology manifest it's beauty... what's better than this miraculous view of U.S. Space Shuttle launch ? After so many years of watching it, still bring tears to my eyes. Now thanks to HD, every details come in full splendor. America the Great, God Bless America !! Yeah !!
@TehPiester456 Not really, because they dump all of that water, about 300,000 gallons onto the pad to help dampen the sound and help keep the pad cool. There's always some damage, but much less than if there were no water at all.
@ZaneKaminski If they're going to the ISS, the trajectory is pretty much the same. It does vary only slightly though. If going to Hubble (which is what happened for this particular mission), the orbit and altitude is notably different. (orbital inclination for Hubble is 28 degrees, ISS is 51 degrees, altitude of Hubble is about 350 miles, ISS is about 220 miles))
Very little vibration. This was a super smooth launch. Congrats to all the engineers!
@HaloMontageMaterial Plus X. As in +X, which means fire the Orbital Maneuvering Engines to accelerate the orbiter a bit along the X axis (towards the nose) to separate farther from the external tank to take photographs of the tank.
Really neat watching launches as a kid in the 1980's. Made me feel proud to be an American. Does any one else feel like we have done it all? Nothing to look forward to?
@andysim232 they don't have to replace thousands after every launch, but they do have to inspect the tiles. They also have to inspect the internal stuff, like the SSME's. The turbopumps in the SSME's push LOX and hydrogen through at about 200,000 RPM'swinged spacecraft are too expensive and there's no demand for it after the shuttle program is done building the ISS.
@HaloMontageMaterial
It's "go for the plus-x", a manouver that is performed just after external tank separation to get the Orbiter away from the tank.
@m0kkaleiavbrukernavn As far as I am aware, the Hubble flights flying out on a 28.5 degree equatorial inclination passed out of range of the camera transmission, thus causing the camera to drop out before MECO. On most of the ISS flights on a 51.6 degree inclination, the camera remained within range, thus providing a good signal through ET separation. It might also have something to with the TDRS network as mentioned before, but I'm not so familiar with that configuration.
@coptersoisoi MECO stands for Main Engine Cut Off. It's when the three main engines are shut down about 8 1/2 minutes after launch. The empty external tank is jettisoned shortly afterward and reenters the atmosphere, breaking up and landing in the Indian Ocean.
@nenblom MECO is Main Engine Cut Off. When the orbiter is officially in space. The crew (and everything else aboard) are weightless (and in freefall) at MECO.
@AtlantisB737 The keys would burn up on reentry and though highly unlikely, if any of the bits did happen to survive the descent, they'd most likely fall into the ocean. Remember, the orbiter's traveling about 17,500 mph. everything they throw overboard is moving at about that speed too, until hitting the atmosphere or accelerating under its own power.
@eagled96
Once it leaves the ground it doesn't have to. The supports on the ground support the weight of both the shuttle and external tank. You'll notice the shuttle has thrusters of it's own that are firing. Those thrusters support the weight of the shuttle rather than those apparently flimsy bars connecting the two :)
@gapsinteeth123 That vapor is gaseous oxygen venting from some vent lines on each of the engines. It's also the same vapor that vents from the very tip top of the orange tank (External Tank) up until about 2 minutes before launch.
@rotorznwingz It falls into the Indian ocean for low-inclination orbits (like Hubble). If it's going to the ISS, it falls in the Pacific.
there is a deflector in the bottom of the launch pad that shoots the engine exhaust and steam from the sound suppression system out to the side, if this was not done the shuttle would have been damaged by its own engine exhaust when the shuttle engines are ignited and brought to full power before the solid rockets ignite
@darkreaper2828 That's froam shedding from the external tank being caught up a bit in the turbulent slipstream. While it may look like they're in space, they're still in the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
@Dsmpsn63 Actually, they do land in the Atlantic, about 150 miles off the coast of Florida. The external tank used to break up and fall into the Indian Ocean, but that doesn't happen for ISS flights; it falls into the Pacific on ISS flights.
That was the announcer who would later cover Atlantis mission STS-129: "Kicking off their work week with a Monday commute to orbit...Atlantis steering into the center lane of Highway 129 en route to the International Space Station..."He made it sound like the ISS was in Jacksonville. This guy is boss :D
Isn’t that also the same guy who did 135? “All three engines, up and burning!”
@AtlantisB737 The countdown clock is in the VIP area. Only ress and VIP's permitted.
That is part of the OMS system, they are the nozzles for the small thrusters the shuttle uses to maneuver with in orbit. You are seeing the covers burst from the pressure wave of engine ignition. That is what they are suppose to do, as they are there just to keep debris and animals out of the thrusters before liftoff
You're thinking of the smaller control jets on the nose and OMS pods. The actual OMS engine bells are uncovered, same as the SSME's.
I just realised there's only a handful of launches left. I've got to get there in person to see one of these in person.
@Hoffy490
Frozen air or nitrogen. The engines are already cooled down by circulating the liquid hydrogen fuel and purged by nitrogen which is very cold when exiting the engine bell which causes the air to freeze instantly.
@SoullessTemptation They land about 150 miles off the coast of Florida, are picked up, cleaned, shipped back to the manufacturer to be reused again on a later flight.
@yoalexx21 They don't come anywhere near a populated area during the launch, and if they did, the range safety system would be activated, destroying the boosters before they got close enough to be a hazard. Plus, it's like a professional dart player throwing darts. They always land within a few of miles of the predicted target. The boosters hit the water consistently about 150 miles off the coast of Florida.
@trechan The smoke from the white rockets (SRBs)? or the exhaust from the orbiter engines? If from the orbiter engines, it's literally nothing more than water vapor. The solid rocket booster (SRB) exhaust is hydrochloric acid and other chemicals.
@sledger25 The tracking station loses line-of-sight contact a bit sooner with low inclination flights than with ISS-bound flights.
@1958boomergirl
Maybe you are interested in the fact, that both forward segments of the STS 133 boosters were also used on STS 1 back in 1981.
@duduspp The forces in the rocket are about 3 to 3.1 times normal weight (called G's). If the shuttle accelerated any faster, it would start to fail. If you've ever ridden the ride called the Gravitron, or Starship 2000 or Starship 3000, you've experienced the same acceleration as the space shuttle does. Pretty cool, eh?
Done it all? Never! Nothing to look forward to? Hardly! That's the cool thing about space exploration, it's neverending. Haven't you heard about the Mission to Mars projects? The technology behind it is in progress as we speak/type, so exciting!
Loved this launch and so grateful all went well!
@coptersoisoi The three main engines are affixed to the back end of the space shuttle orbiter (the thing with wings). The orange tank (called an external tank) is literally nothing more than an oxidizer tank and fuel tank shaped into an aerodynamic shape, which carries the weight of the orbiter and boosters until SRB separation and MECO. What @rotorznwingz said otherwise is correct.
@coptersoisoi A transducer is a sensor (in this case hydrogen pressure sounds like; there are LOTS of them). By carefully cross-checking other indications, it can be determined if there is supporting evidence of a systems problem requiring remedial action or simply an indication malfunction, which is what is indicated here.
The external tank (not the main rocket) is released after MECO (main engine cut-off) and is not recovered. The TAL (transatlantic abort) was named as Moron AB Spain
@laserfloyd The generally accepted "border" of space is about 65 miles or 100km. depending on the amount of radiation hitting the upper atmosphere.
superb video but one question: how can the external tank support the weight of the shuttle?
Beggining from 02:50 till 03:30 I thought my speakers membrane will blow out of the SRB sount - this is the only STS video recorded with such audio quality I ever encountered.
@slushomatic
No, low earth orbit is between 200 and 1400 kilometers. Geosynchronous orbits have a orbital period of one day and usually are circular orbits 36.000 kilometers above the equator (also called geostationary orbit).
@101andrewj At this stage of rocket evolution the propellant (propellant is fuel AND oxidizer) is the cheapest part about a rocket. LOX is about 33 cents per gallon, LH2 is about 35 cents per gallon (US money). Statistically, both Soyuz and shuttle have a 2% rate of Loss of Crew.
The shuttle flights just have about 50k lbs of "unusable" cargo they have to take with on every flight (wings and tail). They're getting rid of the shuttle because it's 30 years old and it's time to improve.
@RipYourBrain Good question. The spent SRBs are recovered from the ocean. Specially fitted ships pick them up as they are designed to float.
@Jonte135
The "circles" are just covers of the aft rcs jets, they are blown off during main engine ignition.
@StephanSteijger It takes two days. It gives the crew a chance to configure for orbit and recover from any space sickness that may occur upon initial orbital insertion.
this is the greatest space shuttle launch. and the most important one too.
How could you dislike this video? It’s like saying you hate America!
Flat brainers...
@sanyo51 To muffle the sound.
at 3+ miles away, you still need earplugs.
It is VERY loud.
soo the solid rocket boosters drop off at 100095 Feet of alt (31.5km) 4:02
and the large external orange fuel tank needed to hold up 3 times the strength of gravity?
Amazing. Just totally amazing. So many people do not appreciate this due to ignorance.
Gotta love that main engine start!!
I often look at these Men and Women with awe! The thousands of hours spent training and even then, few are chosen. Agree with many of you that it is indeed sad that the age of human exploration of space may soon be at and end. However it would have never been possible without the hard work, bravery, and sacrifice (Challenger and Columbia) of these incredible individuals.
@wolfe1970 It's more like 2 million moving parts, but the consensus is still the same.
You wanna know what would be a cool replacement for the shuttle? The X-71 shuttle from the movie "Armageddon". That would be kick ass.
4:05 - Watch the shuttle adjust it's course slightly as the guidance system, which operated _open loop_ during the 1st stage, has transitioned to _closed loop_ and converged guidance is achieved a few moments after SRB separation.
*Closed Loop verses Open Loop*
Modern cruise control in your car is a _closed loop_ system. That means that the system actively monitors the speed of the car dynamically as long as cruise control is engaged. If you set the cruise control at a specific speed, and then car goes down hill, the car will back off the accelerator to try to maintain the speed you set. If the car goes uphill, the system will increase the accelerator to attempt to maintain the speed you set.
After World War II, automobile manufacturers began developing cruise control systems. These early cruise control system prototypes were _open loop_. This meant that when you set a speed, the car simply maintained the accelerator setting. It did not monitor the vehicle speed dynamically. It worked fine along level grades. However, if the car went down hill/up hill, the car sped up/slowed down, effectively ignoring the speed setting the driver made. These _open loop_ developmental prototype cruise control systems were *static*, whereas today's closed loop systems are *dynamic*.
*Shuttle Guidance Modes During Ascent*
The shuttle's guidance system operates _open loop_ during the first stage (from liftoff to SRB separation). During this open loop mode, the guidance system follows a *static* sequence of actions based upon time and velocity performance data. It issues steering commands based upon these factors. During this open loop mode (major mode 102), the guidance system is _not_ issuing steering commands based upon dynamically calculated navigational and guidance data, it is simply following a static pre-programmed sequence of actions.
When staging occurs (SRB separation), the guidance system switches to a _closed loop_ mode (major mode 103). In this case, _closed loop_ indicates that the guidance system operates based upon *dynamically* calculated navigational and guidance system data and a guidance solution. First, the navigation system determines the orbiter's current location, and then the guidance system dynamically calculates a solution to get to the orbiter's precise pre-orbit entry point at main engine cutoff (MECO). So, it basically asks itself, "Where am I now, and how do I get to my precise pre-orbit entry point at MECO?" The guidance system calculates recursively until the guidance solution reached is at or below an acceptable 2 percent error rate. This is repeated until the guidance solution error rate falls at or below 2 percent consistently. Once the solution is repeatedly at or below the 2 percent error rate, the solution is referred to as: _converged guidance_. Having achieved converged guidance, the guidance system operating in closed loop mode, now begins steering the shuttle to follow the solution profile. This is what you see happening at 4:05 in the video. The guidance system dynamically navigates and issues corresponding steering commands throughout the remainder of the ascent.
@m0kkaleiavbrukernavn That has to do with the camera iris. When you iris a camera down the sky will look darker. Due to the nature of shuttle and rocket launches the iris needs to be all over the board depending on if you want the fire to be lit correctly or if you want the vehicle lit correctly.
The shaking will depend on what surface the camera is mounted to.
The shuttle can travel in and out of ground station downlinks. They have something called TDRS to help wit that.
I didn't know the external tank camera sight was lost before MECO. Maybe Atlantis was flying way too fast, or it had a time limit on the view.
@TehPiester456 There's also actually tunnels that direct the blast outward from the pad .
Well, we'll see what the Augustine Commission says about it, but the crib notes are that the HST has already had its final servicing missing, Russia and SpaceX can bring people/supplies to the ISS and NASA needs to rebuild the launch pads for the Constellation project so they don't want the shuttle in the way while they do that.
Well it may seem illogical, but if thought about space travel has paid it's dues.
Given that space research has provided better understanding of and profoundly delivered to the public, communication, science, and interest will explode as a result. I understand society has problems, but communication is the best tool. You and I both communicate with the population, compliments of space exploration.
I would say it has something to due to the fact that the Hubble orbits near the edge of the shuttles max operational altitude. The shuttle would have to launch to a slightly higher apogee so the demand on OMS fuel is lower for orbit with HST. I figure thats the reason the video cut out early.. I'd have to cross check between 2 separate flight plans.. Let me read through a few flight plans and run them on the sim too... I'll have an official answer in a couple days
@spacevidcast ok so I understand the water sound suppression system and I think the idea is genius. When you say the SRBs are spewing out chemicals, are you talking about after or before the launch? I thought that they use LOx for fuels.
@coptersoisoi I just recently watched another STS launch and the commentator/speaker stated that an alternate landing (emergency) is some place in Spain. This is if they're too far to land in Florida.
The chamber underneath the launchpad is full of water. The water is used to dampen the shockwave of the engines firing.
1:46 Damn. I need to be at that distance. Who needs to see or hear anything after that anyway! Love kills!
Seeing the scene where I see Our Own Planet from Above makes me looking in awe and wonder...
@TheEverlastingSM
How do you get a 150 ton fuel tank to space and connect it to the shuttle's main propulsion system? How would the orbiter handle the thermal condition on the way to the moon (100% sunlit vs. 50% sunlit in orbit)? How would the orbiter survive a 25,000mph reentry vs. 17,500mph from earth's orbit (that's TWICE the energy)? And remember, we were just talking about an "Apollo 13 style slingshot" around the moon! In short terms: No, it's not possible.
What a sexy piece of human ingenuity and engineering.
I never tire of watching these launches, just beautiful.
Ok, at 2:35 the rockets throttle down (Max Q?) to reduce the pressure on the structural integrity, but at 2:53 the guy goes "go at throttle up..... my question is, if you throttle down to reduce the pressure on the rocket and throttle back up, wont the same amount of pressure return on the rocket's structure?
damn, i miss that sound T_T the unmistakable noise the APU exhaust makes on the Orbiter .
The most impressiv thing, i have ever seen... even it is only a videoclip. In real it had to be breathtaking.
That's unreal how much smoke that thing produces, it really is putting a rocket on top of an explosion.
The stuff by the launchpad is mostly water vapor from the sound suppression system, but yeah, there is a lot of smoke in its trail.
well the shuttle is supposed to be replaced by a twin system. instead of the shuttle which carries both crew and payload, there will be basically an enlarged version of the external tank (with it's own engines now) and the srbs with a second stage and payload fairing or crew module added on. so in a sense, it is bigger. but it's not the same concept as the shuttle. but what really interesting to me is that they're going back to early nasa designs (even the heat shield is the same from apollo).
@Eagle1Division2
A fully fueled ET weights around 700 tons, how on earth do you get THAT to orbit?
The biggest "heavy lift" launchers of today have between 20 and 25 tons, the Saturn V had 130 tons lift capacity to low orbit.
I was at that launch in person!
Same
Describe us
@@gravydressing8904 Describe
Mate I was 11
Valentino Tera I remember being at 124 and 135, best experience ever.
8:06 is the tank frozen? i did know that they have to bring it down to 0k.. and i know that there can be ice on that tank :D but it looks like in my fridge :D ..well my fridge is worse but nvm
@wolfe1970 It's more like 2.5 million moving parts for the entire shuttle stackk.. The orbiter alone had 2 million. Your motorbike doesn't operate between -380F and +200F in the span of 9 minutes. Nor does it need redundant systems to keep the crew of 7 alive, safe, and able to return home without facing exposure to radiation and vacuum.
i just Love watching that thing taking off over and over again !!!!
@spacevidcast hey were they throw the 3 rockets does when they throw them it fall on people or in sea???
@spacevidcast 77 million horse power, no epa city/hwy rating and smokes like crazy? How does that pass state inspection??
nice that atlantis serve the last hubble mission :) Its my favorite ship of the fleet!