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Space shuttle moved to launch pad as rescue ship

I hope they don't need it ... glad they're doing it though.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h...eDT9gD939UTJG0

Quote:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — In an unprecedented step, a space shuttle was moved to the launch pad Friday for a trip NASA hopes it will never make — a rescue mission. The shuttle Endeavour is on standby in case the seven astronauts who go up on Atlantis next month need a safer ride home.
Atlantis and its crew are headed into space for one last repair job on the 18-year-old Hubble Space Telescope. It's a venture that was canceled when first proposed a few years ago because it was considered too dangerous.
The risk is this: If Atlantis suffers serious damage during launch or in flight, the astronauts will not be at the international space station, where they could take refuge for weeks while awaiting a ride home. They would be stranded on their spacecraft at the Hubble, where NASA estimates they could stay alive for 25 days. Air would be the first to go.
Endeavour and four more astronauts would need to blast off on a rescue flight as soon as NASA determined Atlantis was too damaged to fly home.

An excellent precautionary measure....hopefullly never needed :hmm:

Whats rong with the other shuttle.:hmm:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

An excellent precautionary measure....hopefullly never needed :hmm:

Indeed. Makes me glad they thought ahead... unlike several other operative organizations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Task Force

Whats rong with the other shuttle.:hmm:

Nothing. It's just to reach the Hubble they wouldn't be able to make it to the space station in the event of trouble.

Atlantis is after all almost a quarter century old, there's not too many cars that old still on the road.

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Quote:

Originally Posted by Task Force

Whats rong with the other shuttle.:hmm:

Good analogy :up:

When it comes to space rescue capability it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Kudos to NASA:up:

I wonder who gave them the idea? :smug:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

I wonder who gave them the idea? :smug:

http://www.cultprints.com/images/main-thunderbird-3.jpg

ahh if only we had Jeff Tracy at NASA. :up:

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

I wonder who gave them the idea? :smug:

http://www.cultprints.com/images/main-thunderbird-3.jpg

LMAO :rotfl:

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/207...etb3anifc5.gif

I'll bet if something does happen the first thing the crew of the rescue ship will say to the stranded astronauts is "Somebody call for a taxi?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

When it comes to space rescue capability it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

I know that one as "better looking at it then looking for it"

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Atlantis is after all almost a quarter century old, there's not too many cars that old still on the road.

There aren't that many cars that have a dedicated maintenance team.

Ships, planes and apparently reusable spaceship can live well into their twenties.

Heck, I've sailed on a ship that was half 50 years old and half 30! :-D Still runs fine, even if she leaks all over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

I wonder who gave them the idea? :smug:

The disaster with Columbia made them think this up as way to get the crew down incase of a repeat.

It might be standing by in case the Shenzhou 7 needs help too.