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Old 05-27-2015, 04:47 PM
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Sather Sather is offline
Entropy Demonstrator
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Illinois
Posts: 120
Default part 4

examples in actual operation, applicable to event 6...

(a) - someone stepped on your rocket in the prep area. Bummer. (NOAA-19, Sep 2003)
- During final servicing by Lockheed-Martin, engineers failed to check if the weather
satellite was bolted down before moving it, and accidentally dropped it. Whoops!
Repairs to the satellite cost $135 million, and it was eventually launched in Feb
2009 = no point loss, variable self-imposed time and monetary penalties.
(b) - launch anomaly resulting in loss of 1st launch vehicle, but with recovery of descent
stage and 2nd launch vehicle, i.e. you lose the launch vehicle but recover the
descent stage. The descent vehicle must be recovered, and the ascent vehicle must
make the 2nd launch and be recovered, along with the cheese. In the Apollo
program, the huge Saturn V lofted the Command, Service, and Lunar Modules to
the moon. Only the lunar module made the descent to the surface, and only half of
that left the surface. The Saturn V was not recovered. So, if the launch vehicle is
damaged, you may lose some points in “Quality of Flight (or Recovery) #1”, but if
separate and (1) you recover the descent vehicle and (2) are able to refly it = no
further point deduction. Mission continues.
(c) - launch anomaly resulting in loss of descent stage. (Orbital Carbon Observatory,
Feb, 2009) - A payload fairing is a clamshell-shaped cover that protects a payload
during early flight, and they are always jettisoned as soon as possible after a rocket
has climbed high enough that heating from air friction will not damage the payload.
The OCO fairing failed to separate after second stage ignition. The extra mass of
the fairing was not a significant factor during the flight of the larger lower stages,
but it kept the small third stage from adding enough velocity to reach orbit, so the
resulting sub-orbital ballistic path put the payload into the ocean near Antarctica, 17
minutes after liftoff = loss of all “Quality of Flight” points, as well as all subsequent
categories.
(d) - launch anomaly, vehicle remains fully functional. (Apollo 12, Nov 1969) - was
struck by lightning (twice, at 36 and 52 seconds) during launch, knocking electrical
systems offline. Power was restored about four minutes later. The astronauts spent
additional time in earth orbit to make sure the spacecraft was functional before
firing their S-IVB third stage engine and departing for the moon = no point
deduction.
(e) - your recovery system fails resulting in complete loss of vehicle. (Mars Climate
Orbiter, Dec 1998) - In one of the all time great engineering gaffs, NASA
subcontractor Lockheed Martin created thruster software that used Imperial units,
not the metric units used by NASA. NASA did not know this, never converted from
pounds to newtons, and the probe hit the Martian atmosphere and burned up = loss
of points under “Quality of Recovery” of the applicable flight, and all subsequent
categories.
(f) - you literally lose your rocket. (Mars Polar Lander, Jan 1999) - on December 3,
1999, after the descent phase was expected to be complete, the lander failed to
reestablish communication with Earth. (Beagle 2, Jun 2003) - All contact with it
was lost in Dec 2003, upon its separation from the Mars Express orbiter six days
before the Beagle’s scheduled entry into the atmosphere. = start looking. You have
until Sunday to find it, else loss of points under “Quality of Recovery” of the
applicable flight, and all subsequent categories.
(g) - partial recovery failure with no damage to descent vehicle. (Apollo 15, Aug 1971) -
During descent, the three main parachutes opened successfully. However, when the
remaining reaction control system fuel was jettisoned, one parachute was damaged
by the discarded fuel causing it to collapse. The Apollo 15 and its crew still splashed
down safely, at a slightly higher than normal velocity, on the two remaining main
parachutes. = mission may continue, no point loss.
(h) - partial recovery failure with non-repairable damage to pad / platform but not
ascent vehicle. You land hard and break a leg on the lander, but the ascent rocket
section is still deemed flyable. (Apollo program, never utilized) - We are going to
treat that as a rejected landing with an abort to orbit. If a fault occurred during an
attempted moon landing, the astronauts had the option of firing the ascent engine
and returning to the Command Module in lunar orbit, and subsequently to Earth.
Simulating this, you may remove your ascent stage from the lander’s launch
platform, return it to the range, and re-launch it from any appropriate WOOSH pad.
Since the rocket flew twice, this will in itself not generate a point deduction in any
categories other than ““Mission Success”, since when you waived off you didn’t
acquire any cheese. There may be, at the discretion of the judge, a points penalty
for “Quality of Recovery #1”, if that is what damaged your lander. But you were
fully “re-launchable” and your astronauts returned safely. Congratulations!
(i) - partial recovery failure with repairable damage to ascent vehicle or pad / platform.
You only have what you can carry. Nothing can be added to the mission after the
first launch. But you can make repairs using what you happen to have brought
along in the lander, with no penalty. In fact, everybody can earn a couple bonus
points for having flown a representative sample of things you may need to make the
trip home. Think of that scene in Apollo 13: “We need to make this… fit into this…
using this.” If you break a fin on landing #1, you can repair it only if you flew the
tape or adhesive you need to do so. If your second launch attempt burns the
igniter, hope you flew a spare. In the actual operation of Apollo 11 (Jul 1969), while
moving within the cabin, Buzz Aldrin accidentally broke a main engine arming circuit
breaker. There was concern this would prevent firing the engine, stranding them on
the Moon. They used a felt-tip pen to activate the switch.
(j) - partial recovery failure with non-repairable damage to ascent vehicle and/or loss of
ability to re-launch. (Apollo program, never utilized) - Your lander is stranded.
President Nixon had a prepared speech for such an occasion during the Apollo
program. Think about what you may want to say. = full point deductions in all
categories of 2nd flight.
(k) - landing site suitability, example #1. (Apollo program, all) Apollo had pilots, you
don’t. Neil Armstrong famously overflew a field of boulders to find a better place to
land. Your first flight hangs in a tree, or tips over on landing due to wind. This does
not mean the end of the mission. Since, assuming unlimited funds and training and
given the ability to do so, you would have picked a better area and safely landed
upright in a flat spot, AND under rule 4b you must re-launch from the range, you
will be allowed to move your rocket back to the range, and upright it back to its legs
(if so equipped) = with no point deduction.
(l) - landing site suitability, example #2. Your intended landing site turned out to be a
“water world” and your mission landed in the lake. Hey, the Huygens probe was
designed to float upright, why didn’t you think of that? (Soyuz 23, Oct 1976) The
landing capsule broke through the surface of a frozen lake and was dragged
underwater by its parachute. The crew was saved after a very difficult rescue
operation. = no point deduction, but you get wet. However, any water damage to
your ascent stage may result in penalties under example (j). And you still got wet.
__________________
AP used in 2010: 28,044 Ns (36.9% O)
AP used in 2011: 43,488 Ns (6.2% P)
Highest altitude achieved: 21,981' AGL

"Gravity is a cruel and unpredictable mistress"
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