Apollo 11 turns 40...Popular Mechanics

[Robert Lees]

Some lovely photos here.

[O.Taylor]

Re: Apollo 11 turns 40...Popular Mechanics

An old boss was showing me some pictures take on a research vessel and in the background is the future replacement for the space shuttle, and it looks just like an apollo capsule, except it is larger, holds 6 people. Didn't look like a lot of imagination went into it, O.T.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Apollo 11 turns 40...Popular Mechanics

Now you are REALLY in my area! Sorry but what you saw was NOT an Orion (the name of the new capsule). That was the recovery sim used to develop methods to get the astronauts out of the Orion and practice recovery techniques like hoisting the capsule on the recovery boat and getting the shroud lines from the parachutes out of the way. Getting close to a vehicle that just came back from space can be kind of dangerous. Best to develop the procedures on a sim.
As to the imagination needed, well, how much imagination is there in building a new plane design if it is just another lump with wings out the sides, a tail in back, an engine in front and wheels on the bottom. There is a reason vehicles look similar. They evolve towards the most effective configuration for the mission they are to do. If you want a versatile, reusable vehicle to move a BUNCH of different shapes to low earth orbit for lots of different missions, the Shuttle looked like a pretty good configuration.
If you want to go to the moon or a near earth asteroid, where you need to carry a maximum of payload of a specific size and shape, it's hard to bear a truncated cone. That's why Orion looks so much like Apollo and the Shuttle looks so much like an airplane. Neither is the perfect shape but both evolved to meet their mission.
Now Ares! There is a shape that makes little sense.
Hank

[flyguy]

Re: Apollo 11 turns 40...Popular Mechanics

Gee, do I see a little white antenna dish sticking out on that picture of the lander? That was "ours." Dalmo Victor Textron, Belmont, CA.
Darryl

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Apollo 11 turns 40...Popular Mechanics

Gee do I see a little money there, that was mine!!

Just being funny here, the space program has done more for the general welfare of human beings than any other single thing in this world other then maybe the wheel! Don't get me wrong medicine has come light years but we had witch doctors and brain surgeons well over a 1000 years ago doing some of the same things they are still doing today. Larry

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Apollo 11 turns 40...Popular Mechanics

Funny. I started studying medicine for a VERY short time before I decided on engineering. My doctor at the time asked why I decided on engineering instead. I told him engineers had a new system to figure out every year. Doctors have been working on the same vehicle for 6,000 years and still haven't figured it out. Not a smart thing to say while bent over an examining table with a guy in a rubber glove standing behind you.
Hank
Hey, anyone can forget to use the lube, right?

I KNEW I would find a way to use that emoticon someday!