Re: DO we really need a new manned launcher?

From: Bad Weather (alanroby74spam_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 08/18/04 

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 12:12:32 -0700

no, we dont need no manned launcher unless somebody likes to see "launch
meat" thrown all over the takeoff platform when it malfunctions and blows
up.

"Scott Hedrick" <dinehnm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fZfTc.2827$rj.76@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
>
> "Brian Thorn" <bthorn64@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:t5hch0l9pa1vhgscr1mjbhl4ukr61302l1@4ax.com...
> > Which, by the way, praises the C-130J just as the IG issues a scathing
> > report on the project. Oops.
>
> As it happens, one of the projects I came across repeatedly while working
at
> Goodrich was the C-130J brake controller.
>
> Goodrich ate that contract. It turns out that, while testing a rocket
engine
> controller, the components kept failing. It was eventually traced to a
> faulty connection in an entirely different test rig which happened to use
> the same electrical circuit. Unfortunately, the test rig which had been
used
> to test the C-130J brake units was also plugged into that same circuit,
and
> it was affected. Every shipped unit had to be returned and opened in order
> to be retested, at a cost of 40 hours. None of the units failed on retest,
> but preliminary investigation of the fault path indicated that it could
> cause false positives, so retesting was necessary. 40 hours of engineer
and
> tech time pretty much sucked all the profit out of that contract, and then
> some.
>
> I found the incident to be highly instructive on the sensitivity of the
> equipment, as well as a statement on the value of the sometimes obscene
> amount of paperwork that accompanies such projects.
>
>