Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Jude_jedi t1_j432u1j wrote

Hey Guys, thank you for doing this AMA!

I have one question for you both: what’s the space event or mission you are most excited about in the next few years?

For Mr. Reisman:

I’ve heard that riding on the Space Shuttle was quite a bumpy ride, particularly when the SRBs were burning. Did the ride smooth out a bit after SRB sep when it was just the RS-25s firing? And do you think the extra segment on the SLS boosters will make the ride even bumpier for future SLS Crews?

Thanks to you both for doing this and for helping to share the excitement of space exploration with us all!

5

washingtonpost OP t1_j43cu4h wrote

From Garrett Reisman:

Hi Jude! The Shuttle was a bit bumpy during the first stage. During my first launch on Endeavour, I was seated on the middeck so I didn't have much to do during ascent. I did have a kneeboard though and I took a writing sample during the first stage and my handwriting was even worse than usual! It was much more legible during the 2nd stage. But I would say that the vibration wasn't really that bad even during the first stage. It was comparable to flying an airplane in light to moderate turbulence or being on a typical motion-simulator ride. Nothing too crazy.

As for SLS, I have no personal experience on that thing. :) Nor have I seen any analysis of the random vibe environment. But I don't think that the extra segment would make it worse, it would just make the SRB portion of the ascent last longer. Plus the additional mass of the SLS compared to the Shuttle would likely give you more inertia to reduce the amplitude of the vibration, so I think the ride would probably be quite nice. But again, I'm just speculating here!

6

washingtonpost OP t1_j43446l wrote

From Christian Davenport:

I'm really looking forward to launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket. It has the potential to radically transform the industry (again). The vehicle is now fully stacked down in Boca Chica awaiting a wet dress rehearsal (basically a fueling test) and then a static fire of its 33 main engines. If those go well, we could see a launch at some point (pending the FAA approval of course). Elon has said it's possible it could come in early March, but there still some hurdles to clear first. There's also the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, robotic missions to the moon under NASA's CLPS program, progress toward the Artemis II mission. I outlined what's to come in space in the coming year here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/08/year-ahead-space-nasa-moon/

4