Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ames!skipper!shafer From: shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Orbiter processing Message-ID: Date: 12 Mar 91 15:49:56 GMT References: <14695@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com> Sender: shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov Distribution: usa Organization: NASA Dryden, Edwards, Cal. Lines: 41 In-reply-to: rax8@phx.mcd.mot.com's message of 12 Mar 91 04:08:20 GMT In article <14695@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com> rax8@phx.mcd.mot.com (Steve Roberson ) writes: How do they find the weight and center of gravity of an orbiter? I assume that they don't hang it on a string like a model rocket. :-) The original weight and balance was done in the standard manner, with scales under the gear. It's pretty easy and we do it routinely for all our aircraft. We do hang and swing small aircraft, since they're too light for the usual scales. About the biggest we can do is the F-8. The procedure is to hang and swing or weigh the vehicle initially and then do the subsequent modifications analytically. If you know the inertial properties of the element, it's easy. At one time I set up a spreadsheet to do the weight and balance on the airplane I was working on. Every now and then we take the vehicle back and re-weigh it. If the re-weighing numbers are close, we don't have to redo the weight and balance. I think that they used portable scales for the orbiters, rather than the AFFTC weight and balance hangar, although I believe that Enterprise went down there once. Is there a good book available on shuttle processing? I enjoy reading the processing updates and it would be nice to know just what each item involves. There are so many things that the media doesn't cover. Remember the thread on the lack of pictures of the carrier aircraft crane? I've looked for a source on processing every time I've been to a NASA facility and never seen anything above the comic book level. It's a lot like aircraft maintainence, in that it's either grossly simplified or too detailed and jargon-y to be believed. What lack of pictures of the mate-demate device? There are an incredible number of these around. -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot