Re: Why does the Shuttle roll

From: Jay Windley (webmaster_at_clavius.org)
Date: 02/11/05 

Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 10:00:03 -0700

"Henry Spencer" <henry@spsystems.net> wrote in message
news:IBr6Ey.3HI@spsystems.net...
|
| The choice was fairly arbitrary.

That's the answer I was looking for. I wondered, as I said, about
sightlines and so forth, and was considering the geography of the site with
respect to the turning radius of the crawler-transporter and so forth, but
as usual I'm overthinking it.

| The launch azimuth (and orbital inclination) for a lunar mission
| were not fixed and constant...

I think that's the clincher. With the wide variety of launch azimuths any
launch site may be called upon to support, there's no way you can orient the
site to support all of them. So don't bother to make it a design
requirement. If you're resigned to having to roll, it doesn't really matter
how extensive the roll is. You only get some of the advantage if you
eliminate the roll, not merely minimize it.

So then other siting concerns (where to put support equipment, range safety,
etc.) dictate the orientation of the site. Or in this case they don't. :-)

| >That dictates an optimal position for a crew access arm: you want that
| >hatch to face the LUT...
|
| The access arm doesn't go straight from the tower to the rocket, it goes
| to the *side* of the rocket (as seen from the tower)

You know, the minute I wrote that I wondered if I knew for sure that was the
case. Good to know -- thanks. 

-- 
                                          |
The universe is not required to conform   |  Jay Windley
to the expectations of the ignorant.      |  webmaster @ clavius.org

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