"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn)
11/20/2014 at 11:44 • Filed to: spacelopnik
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"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn)
11/20/2014 at 11:44 • Filed to: spacelopnik | 0
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There is a very cool article on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! where Marsha Ivins talks about her trips to space. Ivins spent a total of 55 days in space over 5 missions.
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Everyone imagines that when you're sitting on the launchpad atop 7 million pounds of explosive rocket fuel, you're nervous and worried; but the truth is, there isn't much to do for those two hours after you climb into the shuttle. Many astronauts just take a nap. You're strapped in like a sack of potatoes while the system goes through thousands of prelaunch checks. Occasionally you have to wake up and say "Roger" or "Loud and clear." But the launch itself is a whole other thing—from the pad to orbit in 8.5 minutes, accelerating the entire time until you reach the orbital velocity of 17,500 mph. That is a ride.
Jayhawk Jake
> You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
11/20/2014 at 12:22 |
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If you ever have a chance to listen to an astronaut speak in person, jump on it.
I've had the privilege of hearing presentations from at least 5 or 6 astronauts, all mindblowing, each with their own perspective and interesting stories.
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You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Jayhawk Jake
11/20/2014 at 16:08 |
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I haven't had the chance to, but will be sure to jump on it if it comes up. I used to love watching the shuttle launches as a kid. The thing that really jumped out at me from the article is the 8.5 minutes of acceleration. I just can't get my head around accelerating for that long.
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Jayhawk Jake
> You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
11/20/2014 at 16:20 |
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One of the astronauts I listened to in college was Steve Hawley. He flew on the shuttle 3 times (? I think?). He went on a Hubble repair mission, that was neat to hear about.
Someone asked him to describe launch. He asked the student to come to the stage and sat him down in a rolling chair (like a desk chair). He said imagine you're on your back. The countdown ends. You feel a strong WHAM in the back of the chair, then it just shakes (he starts shaking the back of the chair vigorously) for a few minutes. When the SRBs run out there's another WHAM then nothing, just smooth acceleration and a mild roar.