[oasis-members] A question: How could this have been prevented?

[Timothy Cassidy-Curtis]

Actually, somebody has.  Except it's on the other coast.  The Space Launch
Complex - 6, or SLC-6, located at Vandenberg AFB, was intended for Shuttle
operations (OK, let's just ignore the Dyna Soar/MOL program just for a bit).
SLC-6 has been successfully used to launch the Delta IV EELV (Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle).  This pad literally rolls the buildings up to
the launch vehicle, and protects it from the elements (and also from
observation).  When the vehicle is lauhched, two structures that protected
it are rolled back, allowing the vehicle to lift off.

Now, if only the Eastern Range were that smart!
(Said by a Western Range Engineer)
:)

-  Tim Cassidy-Curtis
Engineer, Western Range
----- Original Message -----
From: <DRh9811850 at aol.com>
To: <oasis-members at oasis-nss.org>
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 7:56 PM
Subject: [oasis-members] A question: How could this have been prevented?


> Once again, a shuttle launch has been delayed due to storm damage.
> Space Shuttle Damaged by Hail, Launch Delayed
>
> My question is this:  Since wild weather and the Florida coast are closely
> connected, isn't there some way that they can do better to protect launch
> vehicles?
>
> It takes a heap of time (at least 8 hours) to roll the shuttle stack out
to
> the pad, and it occurs to me that *all* the vehicles launched from the
Cape and
> elsewhere need to consider this possibility. So why don't they?
>
> Does anyone have any ideas how future launch vehicles could be more hardy
> against this kind of damage? Portable kevlar slipcovers sound a tad
expensive,
> but so are launch vehicles... ;-)
>
> Diane Rhodes
>
>
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