You NASA geeks will like this!

**Mark Wilson** · #1 04-04-2008, 09:39 AM

I'm a space/Nasa geek too. This is very cool.

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthread...ge=0&fpart=all

Bryan316 · #2 04-04-2008, 10:06 AM

I feel so nerdy right now.

AND I'M LOVING IT.

So just about every photo there is becoming a desktop wallpaper. I'll be cycling through these once a day!

Mon Rominee · #3 04-04-2008, 10:09 AM

Yup, totally dig that. I also dig that my Grampa Mario (rip) was one of the engineers on the first shuttle design team.

Instilled a lifelong love of Space Shuttles in me.

**Mark Wilson** · #4 04-04-2008, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mon Rominee

Yup, totally dig that. I also dig that my Grampa Mario (rip) was one of the engineers on the first shuttle design team.

Instilled a lifelong love of Space Shuttles in me.

That's really cool!

RWP · #5 04-04-2008, 10:25 AM

Great pics thanks!

MakiSupaStar · #6 04-04-2008, 10:29 AM

Awesome. Just curious. Why is the payload in a cleanroom type of environment?

RWP · #7 04-04-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Awesome. Just curious. Why is the payload in a cleanroom type of environment?

I think it's because they can not afford to have a failure due to any type of contamination. They go to a lot of trouble to ensure 100% functionality and keeping it clean is part of that equation.

Bryan316 · #8 04-04-2008, 10:41 AM

If it's optics involved, they must be especially, perfectionist-level clean. OCD clean.

Or Monk will freak out.

Gard · #9 04-04-2008, 10:41 AM

You guys need to join BMC's propellerhead mailing list! I got the same set of photos via e-mail yesterday!

I've got several attachments to the Shuttle:

Back in the early/mid 80's, I lived in Slidell, LA, just north of New Orleans. Almost exactly half way between both city centers, is Michoud Boulevard (French word/name, sounds like "Mee-shoo"). The prominent building on that road is the Michoud Assembly Facility, which is where the external tank is built (unlike the photo listing MS as the origin of the tank - they missed by about 50 miles!

). The MAF was at that time (and probably still is) the single largest single story building in the world.

I started working in the window tint industry at that time, and we got a contract to put window tint on a large percentage of the windows at the MAF, so I spent several months in the building where the tank is actually built. Numerous times, guys that worked there would let us wander around the actual assembly floor, so I gained a direct appreciation for just how BIG those tanks are....they're freakin' HUGE!

A few years later, I had moved to Orlando, FL, and was still working for a 3M window tint shop, they had the contract to do all of the tint work at KSC.

There are two very amazing memories from that time - first, I was at the Administration building during the first launch after the Challenger accident (that was an incredibly emotional moment for a lot of folks, grown men crying like babies everywhere around me when it went right...even I got pretty choked up); second, while working on an instrument shack on the side of the crawl way, I had the fortune to be working on a day when they were moving the Shuttle from the VAB to the pad. So, I was RIGHT THERE as it went by, walked up to the crawler and actually touched it. Man, there is no describing how impressive seeing something the size of a small skyscraper drive past you is. Just a holy-$h!t moment in my life. We were 2 hours late finishing the job, because we just spent that time standing outside, watching it go by, talking to all the guys that were working on it....just amazing...

Marcury · #10 04-04-2008, 10:42 AM

Damn, that is cool!

Gard · #11 04-04-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan316

If it's optics involved, they must be especially, perfectionist-level clean. OCD clean.

Or Monk will freak out.

Monk isn't OCD enough to get a gig working on the payloads for NASA. I've watched through a window while they were working on that stuff....

....man, those cats could give the worst OCD person you'll ever meet lessons!

FL Knifemaker · #12 04-04-2008, 10:45 AM

All in a days work

My friend works on a ship that retrieves the tanks and other stuff that's dropped during liftoff. When he's not doing that, he's on the NASA weather ship......checking the weather

Gard · #13 04-04-2008, 10:45 AM

Also, the John C. Stennis Center is in Mississippi, just over the state line, on the Pearl River. It's where they do the maintenance and testing of the Shuttle main engines. When they were doing a full scale test, you could hear and FEEL it in Slidell (which is maybe 10 minutes away from JCSS), as well as see the huge clouds from the exhaust.

Man, that Shuttle is just all around me, ain't it?

dave64o · #14 04-04-2008, 10:46 AM

My cousin sent that to me recently. Love those shots.

I've always been interested in the space program but after visiting Kennedy last fall and getting the in depth tour I'm a junkie. Everything about it just boggles my mind.

MonetBass · #15 04-04-2008, 10:46 AM

I must be the ultra-geek because a friend sent these pics to me two months ago!

Sorry for not sharing.

Gard · #16 04-04-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

All in a days work

My friend works on a ship that retrieves the tanks and other stuff that's dropped during liftoff. When he's not doing that, he's on the NASA weather ship......checking the weather

Yeah, back when I was in Slidell, I knew at least 6-7 people that worked on the external tank; when I was in Orlando, I probably knew about twice that many that were either direct NASA employees or contractors. Lots of folks that work in the program actually live in Orlando or points west (like Lakland or Clermont).

Sounds like your buddy has a fun gig actually, I could do that one...

PSPookie · #17 04-04-2008, 10:54 AM

My wife has been pursuing a job designing the Orion shuttle -- that would be pretty sweet -- but I think Lockheed likes her where she is now.

Ericman197 · #18 04-04-2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

You guys need to join BMC's

I started working in the window tint industry at that time, and we got a contract to put window tint on a large percentage of the windows at the MAF, so I spent several months in the building where the tank is actually built. Numerous times, guys that worked there would let us wander around the actual assembly floor, so I gained a direct appreciation for just how BIG those tanks are....they're freakin' HUGE!

When I first read this, I thought you meant you tinted spaceship windows. That would be cool. Slap some flame decals, fake air intakes, a Plymouth Superbird size spoiler, chrome spinning rims and a couple of those 21" subs and we'd have a pretty cool space shuttle.

e: Oh and a radar detector, that's huge. Last thing you want is to get pulled over by the po'lice when you're haulin' ass in your space ship.

RED5 · #19 04-04-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

I'm a space/Nasa geek too. This is very cool.

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthread...ge=0&fpart=all

You go watch them light that candle up and I promise you'll be an instant NASA geek. i still dig Spaceship One's subtle approach though.

Bryan316 · #20 04-04-2008, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ericman197

When I first read this, I thought you meant you tinted spaceship windows. That would be cool. Slap some flame decals, fake air intakes, a Plymouth Superbird size spoiler, chrome spinning rims and a couple of those 21" subs and we'd have a pretty cool space shuttle.

e: Oh and a radar detector, that's huge. Last thing you want is to get pulled over by the po'lice when you're haulin' ass in your space ship.

BAH. All show, no go.

You need PERFORMANCE.