Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with NASA

Funny-looking rocket

Idcoytco — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:28:27 -0800

Anyone know why the Ares rocket is that shape?

I would like to see a rocket launched into space

jjjjjjjijjjjjjj — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:57:00 -0800

I'd like to watch a rocket launched into space (from the continental U.S.). I've researched it as best I can, but would like guidance from someone who knows more about it or has seen one before. I'm in St. Louis, Missouri, and I'd like to keep my travel time/expense to a minimum. That said, I'd like to do it right and see the most awesome rocket launch that I can... and see it in the best possible way.

Feel free to correct the following assumptions, which may very likely be wrong:
* If I want to watch a launch in the Continental U.S., I must choose between Cape Canaveral in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
* The launch platforms I have to choose from are: Minotaur I, Taurus, Atlas V, Delta II, Delta IV, and the Space Shuttle.
* These lists, for 2009 and 2010 represent the most comprehensive and accurate information regarding launch schedulings available online.

I have no preference for manned vs. unmanned, and am not favoring launches with any historical import -- I am only wanting to see the most visually impressive launch that I can.

Am I correct in assuming that I want to be as close as is possible? NASA provides instructions on good public viewing positions, but I'd like to be closer, if possible. Who do I schmooze in order to get the best seats in the house? (I'm guessing that the CEO of SatelliteMegaCorp isn't watching the launch with binoculars from his pickup bed on the state highway...) Could choosing a poorly-attended launch help my chances of getting closer? Do different launch providers have different policies on this?

What are the differences in appearance of the various launch platforms? Is bigger better? If so, what's the closest-modern-equivalent to the Saturn V? Are launches to GTO cooler looking than launches to LEO? (Forgive all of this if they are foolish questions... I have no idea).

What am I not asking that I should be? I know there must be an enthusiast community for such things (kindred spirits to Railfans and Roadgeeks), but I'm not finding any online. Do you know of any (are you one?). Many thanks.

(Where) should we go to see the space shuttle landing?

ellenaim — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:26:46 -0800

(Where) should we go to see the space shuttle landing? NASA's website lists several off-site viewing locations for launches and landings. I realize a landing is not nearly as spectacular as a launch, but will we see anything interesting at all from these locations? Are any of them close enough that we'd be able to ooh and aah and get the best (even if brief) view of the shuttle? Which one would you recommend? I'm specifically looking for advice from anyone familiar with the area, especially if you've seen a shuttle landing.

Apollo HD

run"monty — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:01:05 -0800

Where on the internets can I find HD raw footage of the Apollo programme? (for free) ...particularly footage of the LM leaving the CSM.

There's plenty of video around but it all seems to be low res, low quality tape transfer.

Why are space suits orange?

mrunderhill — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:37:11 -0800

Why are space suits orange? Just watched the shuttle launch and now I'm curious why nasa changed from white to orange suits for their astronauts?

I know orange is fashionable these days, but..

Thanks!

Strong man in the moon?

Gungho — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:44:25 -0800

With the advent of NASA's return to the moon I have a question of whether or not The Apollo astronauts could have recovered from a less than perfect landing. The new Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) can map the moons surface with much greater detail than in the time of the Apollo landings. During the descent of the Apollo 11 Lunar lander Niel Armstrong had to fly over an unexpected boulder field. Assuming he didn't, and landed the LEM, and it tipped over, could the two astronauts tip it back up so that it could launch again?

Final shuttle launch tips

afx114 — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:01:19 -0800

What do I need to know about going to see the final Space Shuttle Launch in 2010? I would like to witness STS-134, the final launch of the Space Shuttle scheduled for September 16, 2010. There is this previous Ask MeFi that has some good information, but I have a few additional questions that weren't really answered in that thread:

1) Because this is the final shuttle mission, I imagine that the crowds will be larger than normal. I also imagine that nearby hotels will be gouging as much as they can. Any nearby hotel suggestions? Any guestimates on how early we should arrive to secure a decent seat?

2) Since I will be traveling from California, I'm concerned about delays due to weather or other problems. What is the delay procedure for shuttle launches? Do they just take it day by day? I'd hate to fly all the way out there only to find the launch delayed by a week or two. I know we are at the mercy of the weather, so how is Florida in September when it comes to weather? Favorable to on-time launches?

3) Any other NASA-related (or non-NASA-related) things we should check out while in the area?

4) Any other tips to make this trip happen and be enjoyable would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)

How Can NASA Encourage NASA Employees to Innovate?

choragus — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:30:58 -0800

How Might the Personal Pet Projects of NASA Employees Provide Fuel For Innovation at NASA? The employees of Genentech, 3M and Google, along with other private sector companies, are encouraged to use up to 20% of their regular work week on personal pet projects to create innovative products.

As a result of a recent recommendation, the NASA Senior leadership directed its Agency Office of Human Capital Management and Center Human Capital community to begin researching similar models for NASA employees...unclear if this includes the Agency's contracted employees, too.

How might NASA achieve a goal that enables its employees to devote 20% their time toward innovative pet projects with taxpayer-funding throughout its workforce of educators, procurement and contracts, operations, legal, human resources, information technology, legal, financial, scientists and engineers?

Is this the right question?

searching for an old NASA image...

garethspor — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:24:45 -0800

I can't for the life of me find this old NASA image of an engineer hand drawing a pixelated image from one of the early mars missions. My understanding is that they didn't have printers available quickly enough to visualize the images they were getting back so they printed up sheets of the numbers and added color themselves. Either way, its a picture of an engineer with a sharp crew cut and a plaid shirt drawing in the pixels on long strips of paper with numbers printed. Any links to that image or more information on its origin would be awesome!

cheers

SpaceArtFilter: Where have all the rockets gone?

wavering — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:26:49 -0800

So I'm watching the new Nasa documentary on Discovery and it prompted me to renew my search for rocket art. The issue is that if there is such a thing its not easy to find. I'm looking for prints of old rockets/spacecraft in the vein of this. Doesn't necessarily have to be photographic, but at least photo realistic. Anyone have any ideas of where to look? Bonus points if anyone knows of small scale desktop models of the old school rockets (Atlas, Jupiter, Titan, Redstone).

How many people are involved in building the Shuttle?

np312 — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:58:42 -0800

About how many people, including contractors and their employees, are involved in building the space shuttle? I'm trying to find the largest number possible of people employed in the building of the shuttle. I'm not just talking relevant NASA employees but anyone, including office managers and even truck drivers in Louisiana, who are in some way working to help build the shuttle. (It's okay if they have other job duties too, like working on Mars rovers or whatever, but they have to somehow be involved in the Shuttle program or its engineering.)

I know this is kind of an impossible question because there are so many different companies involved around the country (like Morton Thiokol, United Space Boosters, Martin Marietta, etc) that create shuttle parts, handle avionics, etc but I'm still hoping to find some data to point me to a ballpark estimate.

Thank you!

ad astra per aspera

phrontist — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:06:04 -0800

What's it like working for NASA these days? What will it be like in 5-10 years? I'm a sophomore in college (electrical engineering) thinking of working for NASA some time down the line. I'm fairly sure I know what to do to get there (I have friends who have done internships, I think have a fairly good idea what they value in recruiting), but I wonder what it's like to really work for them.

Do any MeFites work for NASA? Are there any good (candid) blogs out there by NASA employees? How do people inside feel about the agency's funding prospects in the future? How crazy is the government bureaucracy? What's the culture like? What are the strengths of the various locations?

Oh, and to be clear, I'm not an aspiring astronaut. Couldn't pay me enough to get strapped to a giant pillar of fuel to visit some specks near our own.

Manned Space-Flight: FLIGHT CANCELLED

blue_beetle — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:46:17 -0800

This page lists all the planned manned shuttle flights until the shuttle is retired in 2010. Where can I find a list of planned manned space flights after this?

Distributed Probing?

[insert clever name here] — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:05:08 -0800

Why hasn't anyone invented cheap space probes? Some kind of thing that could be sent up en mass to gather just base data we don't have on all the planets/moons/etc . . .? So I've been watching the Universe series on the History Channel. One point that keeps coming up is that they don't know a lot of things about certain planets or moons because we haven't sent a probe there yet, and probably won't for a long time.

That got me thinking, why hasn't anyone, NASA or otherwise, developed "cheap" space probes to do basic information gathering? Relatively speaking of course. Instead of spending millions on a probe, maybe a few hundred thousand. Something that gets it to its destination, takes a bunch of pictures and sends those pictures home.

I'm sure I'm being naive asking this. Please enlighten me!

Help me see a web page that's blocked in the U.S.

Chinese Jet Pilot — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:46:42 -0800

May I trouble someone in the U.K. to search the BFI download page and store, and tell me if they offer Project Apollo: Manned Flight to the Moon for sale or download? The site doesn't permit access to those pages from the U.S. I'm not looking to commit some kind of international copyright conspiracy; I just really want to see that movie. I'll expand on this question by mentioning that the film's director, Ed Emshwiller, was a noted science fiction illustrator and experimental animator.

can i find big NASA tshirts (official)

trashcan — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:26:35 -0800

Where can I find old Nasa T-Shirts from Kennedy Space Center Hi

I went to Kennedy Space Center in 2003, in the store the merchandise was rooted in the 80s; which I loved.

It reminded me of my childhood, not that I went when I was a child - but it was exactly how I remembered it from the likes of Space Camp, etc, etc.

Sorry for the ramble....when I was there, on my honeymoon, there were some big t-shirts - I bought one of them; grey worn and with a Nasa logo...it was 4xl or maybe 5xl.

I loved it and wish every other day that I had bought more, they are perfect for lounging around in and I am mad at my stupidity at the time.

Is there anyway that I can find some more of these and get them to the UK?

Here's hoping that the NASA t-shirt makers tune into ask.metafilter.com.

Cheers TC

Delta 2 Rocket Mars rover mission

mitzyjalapeno — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 19:59:15 -0800

Where do I find the audio file of the radio communications from mission control of the Delta II rocket launch? Preferably in .wav format. Thanks in advance.

Why doesn't duct tape work in the vacuum of space?

banshee — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:06:21 -0800

In this article, one of NASA's rocket scientists said that duct tape doesn't work in the vacuum of space. Why is that?

Moon shot + free binos - what film is this ?

southof40 — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:55:42 -0800

Anyone remember this 1970's film which features a moon shot launch + 'nasty congressman' demanding freebies for his wife ? Sometime in the 1970's on UK TV I watched a film (may have been a 'made for TV' or may have been a cinema film but in either case was a US production) which featured a sequence in which NASA have invited people such as Congressmen / Senators etc to come and watch a rocket launch.

The guests are being seated on an outdoor stand some miles from the rocket. Elected Rep and wife are shown to seat by young man who then presents ER with a pair of binoculars ('courtesy of NASA'). ER say 'thanks and my wife will have a pair too'. Young man explains that freebies are only for ER's. ER insists. Young man embarassed/confused but eventually hands over a pair.

Anyone know what this film is ? (Extra points if you can tell me why I remember this !)

Where can I find vintage NASA animations?

Chinese Jet Pilot — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:42:24 -0800

I'm a fan of vintage NASA animations (like this one), but they are hard to find. I suspect that there's an archive of this stuff available to the public somewhere -- maybe a stack of dusty U-Matic tapes at the Library of Congress. Any ideas where I can find more?

Books about the hisotry of NASA, please.

dpx.mfx — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 16:55:25 -0800

Please recommend a good book about the history of the space travel. I'm particulary interested in NASA, but if it includes info about other countries, all the better.

Why are the walls of space craft covered in buttons and wires?

fire&wings — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:27:21 -0800

Why are space shuttle interiors so complicated and so exposed? Why is it that the interior of space shuttles and the like are so....exposed? Every wall seems to be covered in exposed wiring, buttons, switches etc. I wonder why this is? Are they so vital that covering them with a door or panel would hinder emergency access, or maybe NASA budgets won't stretch to a hinge and a plastic flap? It's strange that with people actually floating about bumping into stuff inside them, the guts of the ship seem to be left open to accidental damage.

Example here, wires, screens, buttons - a mess!

Roger Huston

Smedleyman — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:20:40 -0800

How can I mix astronaut background sounds and change my voice so it sounds like I'm using one of the radios from the old-NASA spaceflight days? The idea would be to include distortions and hiccups of various kinds for realistic effect. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to computer software for mixing sound, so pretty much even a basic idea would help. I'm thinking I could record (digitaly on the computer) some actual recorded transmissions, but I have no clue where to get those or what sofrware to use.

Why won't this NASA site work?

Orange Goblin — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 04:31:16 -0800

Any idea why this NASA site won't work in Firefox or IE? I just get Armstrong, then the planets, but I can't click the past, today or future links...you would have thought NASA would sort things like this out - it's hardly, erm, rocket science..

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!

Popular Ethics — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:03:00 -0800

NASA has released details today of their new "exploration architecture" which they hope will take them to the moon and mars. (really awesome movie). Help me understand a design decision. Here's a shot of the earth-moon transit stack. According to the above movie, the part on the left (with two engines and a great honkin tank) burns all the way to the moon, and is then ejected. The engine on the right (bearing a remarkable likeness to the Apollo service module) brings the spacecraft back.

As I understand it, The Apollo service module performed both duties, (it separated from the Saturn third stage while still in earth orbit).

So why the giant engine this time, and why for just one way?