Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!eagle!news
From: spgreg@venus.lerc.nasa.gov (Greg Macrae)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: 17 inch Disconnect
Message-ID: <1990Aug20.125912.13670@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>
Date: 20 Aug 90 12:59:12 GMT
References: <6996@alvin.mcnc.org> <18203@ultima.cs.uts.oz>
Reply-To: spgreg@venus.lerc.nasa.gov
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Lines: 26
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4

In article <18203@ultima.cs.uts.oz>, dcorbett@ultima.cs.uts.oz (Dan Corbett)
 writes...
>rinne@mcnc.org (Glenn A. Rinne) writes:
> 
>>A quick question:
>>How is the umbilical disconnect protected
>>during re-entry?
> 
>	The umbilical ports are located above the wings.  Therefore the
>wings prevent any really bad effects from re-entry.  Actually, protecting
>them from launch effects is the worse problem.
> 
There are umbilical ports located between the wings and the OMS (orbital
maneuvering system) pods.  They provide conections with the ground servicing
equipment.  The 17 inch disconnects, however, are the umbilicals to the 
external tank.  Both (one for the oxygen and one for the hydrogen flow) are 
located on the underside of the shuttle.  As H Spencer indicated in a post, 
there are black tile covered doors which close over the umbilical panes during 
reentry.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------
     Eustace                 |      Bright red pepper pod...
                             | It needs but shiny wings and look...
   spgreg@csd.lerc.nasa.gov  |        Darting dragonfly!
                             |                      -Basho
--------------------------------------------------------------------