The media officially knows nothing about aviation

[9GClub]

From CBSNews.com, referring to Discovery:

"The fuel gauges are needed to prevent the main engines from shutting down too soon or too late during liftoff. The first scenario could result in a risky, never-attempted emergency landing; the second could cause the engine turbines to rupture and destroy the spacecraft."

Since when does the orbiter have turbines?

 

[mtrv]

From CBSNews.com, referring to Discovery:

"The fuel gauges are needed to prevent the main engines from shutting down too soon or too late during liftoff. The first scenario could result in a risky, never-attempted emergency landing; the second could cause the engine turbines to rupture and destroy the spacecraft."

Since when does the orbiter have turbines?

I've heard of turbine blades being used to move fuel quickly to rocket motors. I'll assume it's a turbine pump being referred to.

 

[Metro752]

Im Gay.

 

[9GClub]

A turbine pump makes sense, but "engine turbines" connotes turbine engines.

 

[onthebeach]

Lighten Up, Francis...

The poor newscaster was referring to the engine turbopumps, which move liquid fuel and oxidizer at a high transfer rate necessary to sustain rocket engine combustion.

Yes, these are "turbines," just like there are "turbines" in hydroelectric plant; and yes, they are part of the engine. So he/she was correct in referring to them as "engine turbines." Had he/she talked about "turbine engines" powering the shuttle, then I think you would have had some beef.

But let's try to keep the big picture here. Most of the people in the CNN listening audience don't understand that space has no air. So I think you're really kind of quibbling here.

Have a nice day.

 

[Dangerkitty]

From CBSNews.com, referring to Discovery:

"The fuel gauges are needed to prevent the main engines from shutting down too soon or too late during liftoff. The first scenario could result in a risky, never-attempted emergency landing; the second could cause the engine turbines to rupture and destroy the spacecraft."

Since when does the orbiter have turbines?

Why dont you go on CNN and set them straight. With your 12 hours of Cessna and Sub-Orbital Beechcraft time your experience will speak for itself.

 

[siucavflight]

Im Gay.

Why? Because you forgot to log off?

 

[9GClub]

Space has no air!!??

It's 14 hours now guys. I'll have to update. Still sub-orbital though.

Since when are we not allowed to quibble on flightinfo......

Speaking of which-- and Tony C should appreciate this-- the other thing that bugs me about online news is that the punctuation/grammar/syntax sucks. I'm not talking about a dropped comma here and there, I'm talking like whole words missing from stories. They're in such a freaking hurry to get something on the page that they don't care if it's crap.

I think I need to find myself a girlfriend.

I hope the Stirling scramjets on the shuttle work tomorrow.

 

[k_EAT=ho_ME]

They're in such a freaking hurry to get something on the page that they don't care if it's crap.

Well, now there you go, insulting every flightinfo.com user.

 

[Princedietrich]

It took you this long to realize the media are idiots?


I can clearly remember back when John Kennedy Jr crashed and got killed. The media was so quick to jump in and say that the Piper Saratoga was a deathtrap of a plane and that anyone who flies one would be killed. In most other crashes, the first thing the media preaches is "pilot error" just like the FAA.

I also remember seeing a discussion forum on one of those CNN shows, with several snooty looking old dudes in suits talking about how they knew EXACTLY why that crash happened. Then the moderator (I can't remember who) brought in John King to speak about the situation over satellite link. One of the snooty old dudes looked right at John King (or at least his picture on the tv screen) and told him that he didn't know what he was talking about. I couldn't stop laughing. I mean come on, we all know John King is an annoying tool, but I would THINK that when it comes to general aviation he would know what he's talking about more than some dried up old politician who probably doesn't even know how many wings a helicopter has.

 

[EagleRJ]

I'm glad I'm not the NASA weenie who had to explain the concept of turbopumps to the media!

I actually think it's not a good idea to press ahead and launch tomorrow without resolving this problem.

Here's the issue:
The sensors that have been malfunctioning are not used in a normal launch- in fact they have not been used in any launch. They are intended to shut the engines down should fuel run out prematurely, to prevent the engines from doing all kinds of dramatic things. During a normal launch, the External Tank contains more fuel than the launch profile requires, even after accounting for boil-off. Should the hydrogen tank run dry due to a leak or something, the sensors would shut the engines down before the turbopumps start gulping air.

The problem is that the sensors in question have intermittantly been showing a "false empty" reading. That would create a major problem if they were to indicate empty during the ascent. The Shuttle has numerous abort scenarios for the loss of one or two main engines, but there is a long period of time when it couldn't handle the loss of all three SSMEs, since it has too much energy to return to Florida and too little energy to reach the abort sites in Europe.
Hopefully the NASA engineers are able to insert some software code that will cause the engine computers to ignore the sensors until the Shuttle is in range of Europe. I hope they did something like that, and we're not just "crossing our fingers" here.

 

[siucavflight]

hey 9g, you like my sig?

 

[TDTURBO]

What worries me the most is that, "Generation X", idiots will eventually run this country not to mention be responsible for medical research.

 

[9GClub]

hey 9g, you like my sig?

Golly I'm about to go cry to MissKittyKat with all the abuse I'm taking over that 1+ G comment...... pick an alternative that floats your boat......

"more than one G...."

"between one and two G's...."

"positive linear acceleration of a noticable but not excessive magnitude....."

"your mother...."

 

[skyking1976]

9G; Just got a call from Johns Hopkins--your brain is ready.

 

[FN FAL]

Im Gay.

Why? Because you forgot to log off?

No, he's gay because he drives a Ford Contour.