Re: NASA Issues new Safety Guidelines

From: Henry Spencer (henry_at_spsystems.net)
Date: 03/25/05 

Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 06:41:10 GMT

In article <Xns9623B9D607000jrfrank@216.196.97.131>,
Jorge R. Frank <jrfrank@ibm-pc.borg> wrote:
>...The USAF provides range safety for
>the entire Eastern Test Range - both KSC and CCAFS. That gives them both a
>voice in, and veto over, NASA launch decisions. In practice, they've
>rubber-stamped NASA in the past, but they've publicly given subtle hints
>that they aren't willing to do that any more...

It would be interesting to know the internal politics behind this one.
Almost certainly there is more here than meets the eye. There are a lot
of judgement calls in the safety rules, and a *lot* of politics in which
ones get enforced to the letter and which ones don't, either by formal
waiver or just by being quietly disregarded.

I'm told that to launch a Titan IVB in strict conformance with all Cape
safety rules, you would have to evacuate most of Florida first. And you
could not launch a Titan IVA, 34D, or IIIC/D/E at all. 

-- 
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend."    |   Henry Spencer
                                -- George Herbert       | henry@spsystems.net

Relevant Pages

  • Re: NASA Issues new Safety Guidelines
    ... >the entire Eastern Test Range - both KSC and CCAFS. ... of judgement calls in the safety rules, and a *lot* of politics in which ... I'm told that to launch a Titan IVB in strict conformance with all Cape ...
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  • Re: NASA Issues new Safety Guidelines
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