Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!netxcom!ewiles
From: ewiles@netxcom.UUCP (Edwin Wiles)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: ANSWERS: Reprogramming, plume, etc...
Message-ID: <981@netxcom.UUCP>
Date: 30 Sep 88 16:56:40 GMT
Organization: NetExpress Communications, Inc., Vienna, VA
Lines: 64

Reprogramming:

	Yes, the shuttle was held for the weather to actually 'worsen'.
	The winds at the 30 thousand foot level were not as strong as
	was expected, and were not comming from the right direction.

	Seems that flight control data is built into the program to
	compensate for the expected winds, and nature simply didn't
	coooperate right away.

	Why isn't it set up to read the data in?

	a) EXTREMELY LIMITED MEMORY!!!  Anyone nowadays can go into
	a store and purchase more computing power and memory than
	all five of the Shuttle computers combined.

	b) MAN RATING.  Anything that changes, and has to do with
	a manned space shot, must be 'man rated'.  This is a very
	expensive and time consuming process.  Thus, if they had
	changed the software, they would have had to go through
	the man rating process.

	Why don't they upgrade?  See "MAN RATING".  Not to mention
	the fact that all the systems are set up to work with the
	existing computer design.  You'd probably have to redesign
	nearly everything.

FLAME PLUME:

	Yes, I saw it to, and nearly died of fright!  However, when
	informed of the plume's existence at a post-launch conference,
	a NASA spokesman indicated that such lights had been seen a
	number of times before, and had always turned out to be some
	sort of reflection.  NOT an actual flame.  [Pers'naly, I'm
	still suspicious, but NASA knows it's neck is on the chopping
	block.  One more serious screwup and we won't *have* a space
	program, *at* *all*.]

CANCELED HOLD AT T-31 SECS:

	Apparently the launch sequencer is set up to abort if anything
	is out of parameters at T-31 seconds.  The program that monitors
	the cabin air pressure and O2 content showed a discrepancy in
	the O2 content.  The possibility of this discrepancy showing up
	had been discussed quite some time before the launch.  The program
	had not been constructed to take the effects of the crew's pressure
	suits into account.  When that was confirmed as being the reason
	for the potential hold, it was overriden by the controlers before
	it had a chance to stop the launch.  Why wasn't the program
	rewritten?  See "MAN RATING", above.

SOMETHING I HAVEN'T SEEN MENTIONED YET:

	The crew boarding was delayed for aproximatly 30 Mins due to
	a simple 5A fuse burning out in the Commander's suit cooling
	fan.  Seem's they had some trouble locating a replacement.

Most of this information was garnered from NASA Select programming, and
from ABC News coverage of the flight (Good Job, ABC!).
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