Lee L
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2000
- Messages
- 868
The RTLS abort is pretty nasty and involves turning the obiter around with the main engines going full blast to return to the launch site they were previously leaving. My guess is they would not be going that fast on descent and that was probably the only thing that could have saved them if the damage was severe. Of course there is hardly any time to realize there is damage and initiate the proceedure before it is too late and the RTLS would normally be initiated by the computer based on certain performance parameters
I read that NASA wanted to make the first launch of Columbia a test of the RTLS proceedure but that Robert Crippen did not like the idea at all as he considered it too dangerous. NASA eventually decided the same and of course they did not do it.
I read that NASA wanted to make the first launch of Columbia a test of the RTLS proceedure but that Robert Crippen did not like the idea at all as he considered it too dangerous. NASA eventually decided the same and of course they did not do it.