Thursday, May 06, 2010

testing what you don't want to happen

astronaut nasa


NASA shared their success of testing a pad abort system today. Being that it is an abort system, you DON'T want to use it. Basically it propels the crew module away from the rocket so that they can escape a malfunctioning rocket.




Here's the video of the test. The whole flight lasts only 135 seconds and the top altitude is about 1.2 miles high.





I appreciate that NASA also shares their mistakes with us too.  Back in 2008, I posted the video of Spacewalker
Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper's  mistake.



5 comments:

TechnoBabe said...

Knowing the abort system works is a great backup plan and peace of mind for all, especially the people who travel out in space.

lisleman said...

agree - "what ifs" is a big part of engineering but there is always plenty of unknowns when you are on the edge of discovery. Thanks for the comment. It had me thinking of the "Right Stuff" movie and I just searched and found Chuck Yeager's web site. His autobiography is one of my favorites.

secretagentwoman said...

I'm glad they do that. Failure is always a possibility and the more safeguards they have in place, the better.

lisleman said...

possibility ? maybe - but "Failure is not an option" - Apollo 13 movie.
thanks

unknownmami said...

Gotta plan for the worst and hope for the best.

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