[HN Gopher] Historic NASA Launch Platform Will Be Demolished
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Historic NASA Launch Platform Will Be Demolished
Author : pseudolus
Score : 49 points
Date : 2021-01-26 11:42 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (gizmodo.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (gizmodo.com)
| ed25519FUUU wrote:
| They could make a killing creating "souvenirs" from the scrap
| metal. I'm sure many people would love to own a little piece of
| history. But where to store all of the pieces?!
| pdonis wrote:
| The article says the old MLPs were phased out because they
| couldn't support the weight of the Space Launch System, but from
| the figures I can find, SLS isn't as heavy as the Saturn V was.
| (And also doesn't boost as much payload to either LEO or TLI as
| Saturn V did. Sigh.)
| stretchcat wrote:
| They've aged since then. Maybe they can't support as much
| weight today as they once could.
| jostmey wrote:
| I say good! I am tired of hearing about the "historic" space
| program. It is a reminder of what we have not achieved in the
| decades since then. It's time to focus on what will be done, not
| what was done
| cblconfederate wrote:
| I assume the apollo mobile launcher was the inspiration for that
| star wars vehicle:
| https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/databank_sandcrawle...
| shazeubaa wrote:
| Or maybe Frank Herbert's Dune was?
| [deleted]
| anonymousiam wrote:
| Lots of space down at NASA/CCAS, and nearly all of the original
| launch pads are still intact (but in a state of decay). There is
| historical value to everything, but it must be weighed against
| the need for modern facilities. Sure there were some historic
| launches from MLP-2, but IMHO that does not justify turning it
| into a museum. There's a nice museum (and rocket garden) just a
| few miles away at the Visitor Center.
| simonebrunozzi wrote:
| What a missed opportunity to transform it into an open-air
| museum.
| ars wrote:
| Is it? The thing is huge - and unless its safe enough for kids
| to crawl all around the inside of it (which I doubt), how
| exactly would you make it into a museum, when it's so large you
| can't even see hardly any of it?
|
| Are people supposed to just stand on the ground and look up?
|
| Also, where would you put it? Popular museums are usually in
| reasonably settled areas, there's just no space for something
| this large.
|
| Not to mention, how would you even get it there?
| stretchcat wrote:
| Lots of warships are now museums, and those were never
| intended to be kid safe. Just rope off the sketchier bits and
| tell people to be careful. Not everything needs to be totally
| safe. A little danger builds character, whether it's falling
| off the monkeybars or knocking your head when jumping through
| a narrow hatch in a submarine (that hurts!)
| medium_burrito wrote:
| Us taxpayers dodged a giant museum-shaped bullet. Seriously,
| it's great to have historic stuff, but we have more of these
| things, and they aren't exactly pinnacles of architecture,
| noted cultural venues etc.
| dclaw wrote:
| I think the idea that they are tearing it apart to make use for
| parking spaces is a bit overblown. It's not parking spaces for
| cars, it's parking spaces for these platforms, which they are
| building more of. Due to their shear size, there's only so much
| room to store such things.
| MPSimmons wrote:
| Note that the mobile launch platform (MLP or ML) is different
| than the Crawler Transporter -
| https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/crawler...
|
| The Crawler-Transporter is the thing that carried the mobile
| launch platform.
| [deleted]
| headcanon wrote:
| Sounds like its just sitting there taking up space and ought to
| be decommissioned, and its too big for a museum piece.
| Documenting the history should be enough. This is a good thing,
| because it means the area is busy, and that means more stuff
| going to space.
| rob74 wrote:
| The article isn't really clear, so: this is just about the
| platform, which is one of three built for the Apollo program and
| then reused for the Space Shuttle. They are demolishing one of
| them (MLP-2), because they still have two of the "old model"
| (MLP-1 and MLP-3) and soon two new ones (ML-1 and ML-2). The
| article doesn't distinguish between the platform and the crawler-
| transporter which is below it in the photo - those are still
| needed (and also in the National Register of Historic Places), so
| not going away any time soon...
| ocdtrekkie wrote:
| This is the important bit I needed to know to not really care
| about this news. The crawlers are cool. The launchpads are
| things rockets sit on which can also sit on the crawlers.
| [deleted]
| aejnsn wrote:
| Can Elon take it off their hands?
| dangerbird2 wrote:
| Probably not. Falcons are assembled and transported
| horizontally, thus don't need a mobile launch platform.
| Starship will probably be too big for it, and will probably
| need its own solution for assembly given its unusual launch and
| landing profile.
| gpm wrote:
| So far the SpaceX Starship solution seems to be commercially
| available cranes, commercially available "roll lifts" (flat
| beds with a lot of independently controlled wheels [1]), and
| simple launch sites that don't move around on land.
|
| I have to imagine that SpaceX's solution is orders of
| magnitude cheaper than maintaining this giant custom vehicle
| NASA made.
|
| [1] https://i.redd.it/wo6buoppcov31.png
| dblohm7 wrote:
| It wouldn't be useful to them. Among the modifications they
| made to pad 39A, SpaceX built their horizontal assembly
| building right where the crawlerway approaches the pad.
| sandworm101 wrote:
| Parking spaces yes, but there are far more complicated issues.
| Look at the size of this thing. Just imagine the maintenance
| needed to keep it safe. Who knows what environmental evils are in
| there (asbestos, oils, paints). Either find the millions per year
| to keep it as a museum piece, or demolish it safely now. Only
| then does the question becomes what will that space be used for.
| If you have no other use, ya, it can be a parking lot. It is not
| being demolished to create the parking lot. It is being
| demolished because it needs to be demolished. To what use the
| then-vacant land shall be put is a different story.
| MPSimmons wrote:
| The title says the word "historic", and it was definitely used
| in history, but I don't see any reason for anyone to be
| sentimental about this thing.
| sandworm101 wrote:
| >> I don't see any reason for anyone to be sentimental about
| this thing.
|
| I wouldn't say that anywhere near nasa. Lots of people worked
| in these structures doing amazing things. They probably have
| very fond memories of their time with them.
| toomuchtodo wrote:
| These are all great points, but perhaps NASA could capture and
| archive enough images that it could be recreated in the future
| for virtual experiences using 3D reconstruction. The only thing
| you're out for such an effort is someone's time and S3 storage
| costs.
| stickfigure wrote:
| The article says there are two more of the same model still
| running.
| toomuchtodo wrote:
| I should've been more clear. I was aware, and I think it's
| a good idea even if they're going to scrap this platform.
| Mea culpa.
| canada_dry wrote:
| ... you don't know what you've got til it's gone. They paved
| paradise and put up a parking lot ...
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(page generated 2021-01-27 23:01 UTC)