News Decommissioning of Discovery (OV-103)

[jinglesassy]

The rcs to my understanding will be real but the orbiter maneuvering system engines wont be.

 

[FADEC]

Some Apollo hardware remains also are not in the very best shape here and there. They even sold parts. It is not as worse as for Buran, but still sad. I can only hope they keep a better eye on the Shuttles...

 

[Belisarius]

In the words of Fred Haise in tribute to LM Aquarius:

Farewell, [Discovery], and we thank you. She sure was a great ship.

 

[T.Neo]

So yes they are more original also would you rather have a cleaned discovery or people getting sick after seeing discovery from the toxic hydrazine?

If there was a risk of 'getting sick from the toxic hydrazine', a whole lot of shuttle workers would have gotten sick by now... of course, the OPF is very different from a museum...

I think it is more about removing any possibility of any sort of toxic leakage from a museum display, rather than removing the possibility of a display that's outright toxic.

I do think though, I mean, those OMS engines are going to be fake, the RCS thrusters are going to be fake... no doubt they're going to make out the fibreglass or plastic replicas to be as realistic as possible, but it kinda gives the impression... these vehicles are becoming museum pieces, they're just for people to gawk at now... they're (partially) fake and it'd be impossible to fly them again... they're kinda like... waxworks figures.

Ok, so not exactly... they are the real thing, but they are... for display only.

Of course there is nothing else for them, and of course it's great that they're going to be taken care of properly and put on display for the public. But it's still sad.

 

[Bonanza123d]

:hesaid:

and even more :facepalm:

(sorry, this picture can shock spaceplane-sensible audience)

What is that. Is that Colombia, or did that thing entirely crumble to pieces.

 

[DaveS]

What is that. Is that Colombia, or did that thing entirely crumble to pieces.

Not OV-102. That was Buran mounted on a Energia launch vehicle.

 

[Mantis]

More about the engines, and specifically the OMS pods :

Thanks....that text you posted was a partial transcript of the interview that I saw. Thanks for posting it.

---------- Post added at 08:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:25 AM ----------

Not OV-102. That was Buran mounted on a Energia launch vehicle.

Unfortunately there wasn't anything near that large left of Columbia.

 

[River Crab]

She was a great ship, and never has so much history been attached to a single spacecraft.
I'd like to say that the end of the shuttle program will be a new beginning, but it feels much more like the end of an era than anything.

Now...does anyone know where Discovery is going? Last I heard was that the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy centre (which was the expected place of retirement) barely had the money for all the things needed to aquire her and relocate Enterprise.

Which would be a shame, because it's minutes away from me...

I might have to go over there and ask them ^^;

 

[SiberianTiger]

Well, at least that one is in a better(-ish) state...

How many of those were built?

Five spaceworthy Burans were being built in total, out of which three was not finished. That does not include mock-ups and test beds (like one residing today in Sinsheim or one sitting at riverbank in Gorky park).

 

[Mantis]

I think it's sad to see any great flying machine tied forever to the ground, never again to touch the sky or in this case space. I grew up watching the space shuttles thunder into space. I remember getting up early that April morning in 1981 as a nine year old boy and watching Columbia lift-off for the very first time. I followed just about every flight since then and never lost interest. I remember the feeling of pride as the Canadarm flew and exceeded all expectations and was even prouder when Marc Garneau, Canada's first astronaut launched on Challenger. I remember the sick feeling in my stomach as I watched Challenger break apart in 1986 and again in 2003 when I heard about Columbia's demise. I watched in interest as the ISS grew from those first few modules when Julie Payette became the first Canadian to pay it a visit. I followed STS-100 very closly as Colonel Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian to walk in space installing the Canadarm2 on the space station. Now that era is coming to a close.

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now:

• First engine removed from Discovery (PHOTO GALLERY)
• Second engine removed from Discovery (PHOTO GALLERY)

 

[Keatah]

The operational procedures for nasa more or less consider hardware just that, hardware. Hardware is something to be built, used, tested, examined, modified, flown, and disposed of when the program comes to an end. IF the national museums weren't putting up a stink then the shuttles would probably end up like Buran or just totally recycled or boned in the yard; much like commercial airliners.

After all, it's just hardware, material that was dug up from the ground, and molded into shape. Really. Nasa views it as such. Nasa places the "heritage" and "history" in the legacy of the program, the data produced, the publications, the experience, the people involved, the politics. Trials & Tribulations. Hardware is really a liability, ESPECIALLY used up hardware. Don't kid yourself, Nasa is glad to be free from the shackle of the shuttle.

 

[agentgonzo]

The operational procedures for nasa more or less consider hardware just that, hardware. Hardware is something to be built, used, tested, examined, modified, flown, and disposed of when the program comes to an end. IF the national museums weren't putting up a stink then the shuttles would probably end up like Buran or just totally recycled or boned in the yard; much like commercial airliners.

Yes and no. Nasa does acknowledge the history and it's not fair to say that if the museums didn't put up the wonga that they'd get binned. They'd probably keep one in a museum themselves. Think of the rocket garden and the Saturn V in that massive hangar at (I think) KSC (or is it Houston?)

 

[RisingFury]

Every piece of Discovery they take away will take a piece of her soul away with it

 

[T.Neo]

That's rubbish; it's not "just hardware", it's history. And there is a huge amount of sentimentality attached to it as well. The idea that NASA is some uncaring machine is about as far from the truth as possible. The people that have worked on Discovery and the other shuttles for decades, that are now taking her apart? They aren't attached to these vehicles? They aren't emotional about the program ending? Yeah right.

In fact, if the museums didn't want the shuttles, NASA would definitely not cut them up for scrap or let them sit to rot; they'd put them in storage, even if they weren't on public display. But in any real scenario, of course, it's advantageous for NASA and museums to have such historical vehicles on display.

The situation with the Soviet shuttles is of course lack of money after the fall of the USSR, and total neglect- maybe that is because the whole thing was treated with utter secrecy, it only made one mission and was then packed up for good. Still, it's sad that the history of the Soviet shuttle program is being left to rot, and is totally neglected.

Would you suggest that the HMS Victory or USS Constitution are "just hardware", and should be destroyed or left to rot? After all, they served any useful purpose centuries ago, and they have no place in any modern role... ergo, they are useless garbage that nobody should care about. Would you suggest that the Parthenon be demolished to make way for a more modern structure? After all, it serves no useful purpose and is in ruins, and is even a bit of an eyesore in the middle of a city...

I would say that politics, is already more than a shackle to NASA than STS ever was, and that quite a few people at NASA would appreciate if the "shackle" of STS could be used for just a little while longer to provide the US with a stop-gap manned spaceflight capability. I am sure that there are thousands of people who don't like the fact that they are losing their "shackle" of a career working on these vehicles.

NASA are not a group of nonthinking machines; they may build spacecraft, launch payloads, and do science, but what spaceflight- and manned spaceflight in particular, deals in at the most fundamental human level- is emotion. This is what drives us forward to complete such great feats, and without it, we would be lucky to be decomissioning not Discovery, but instead, our Acheulean tool kits.

It is the end of an era. These vehicles and the frankly amazing things they do, along with the spectacle of their history, will end in this year. They will be pulled apart, cut into, and be bolted to the floor of a museum where they will be exhibited to whining and unhappy children and nostalgic space enthusiasts, never to fly or operate in any way again. And it is perfectly understandable for that to be sad.

Every piece of Discovery they take away will take a piece of her soul away with it

Amen.

 

[Capt_hensley]

It's not the hardware, or history, It's the significant cost of de-mil, moving, housing, and maintenance of a piece of hardware that will no longer serve it's designed intention.

Money, money, money, nothing more. If I had the cash I would put them all(together) in my own museum, everything associated with them, somewhere in the desert, indoors and out, where the weather, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes could not get at them.

The fact that these great pieces of history get a home at all is of significant notoriety. NASA funding is for current projects, any money spent on any shuttle after STS135 is gravy, and we should all be thankful NASA is taking any time on them at all to get them ready for a new home.

Yes it's sad to see them go, but at least we get to see them stay, Even if it's in a different light.

 

[n122vu]

It's not the hardware, or history, It's the significant cost of de-mil, moving, housing, and maintenance of a piece of hardware that will no longer serve it's designed intention.

Money, money, money, nothing more. If I had the cash I would put them all(together) in my own museum, everything associated with them, somewhere in the desert, indoors and out, where the weather, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes could not get at them.

The fact that these great pieces of history get a home at all is of significant notoriety. NASA funding is for current projects, any money spent on any shuttle after STS135 is gravy, and we should all be thankful NASA is taking any time on them at all to get them ready for a new home.

Yes it's sad to see them go, but at least we get to see them stay, Even if it's in a different light.

If I had the money, I'd give it to NASA to ramp the program back up long enough to develop another manned spaceflight program that would include a method of getting to/from ISS, among the other goals (Moon/Mars, etc). I appreciate Russia's willingness to allow us to fly on the Soyuz, but if you have a vehicle that still works, and are trying to develop a replacement, you need to keep the other one flying until the replacement is ready. My opinion anyway.

To me, it is analogous in my world to taking one of my users' old laptops away and saying "We haven't chosen a replacement model to purchase yet, but we can't afford to keep repairing these older ones. You and the person in the next cubicle can share a laptop until we make a decision and buy you a new one."

 

[Pinguinboy]

May The Probe hail the Discovery being a good ship. Without you, we wouldn't be far in space.

 

[Keatah]

Mmmnn..

 

[ky]

Second Engine removed from Discovery

Hre is another sad thought,the main engines of the shuttle are being removed.Here are pics: