That doesn't mean you can just take a day off while on the NASA payroll. I've seen unrealistic expectations before, we all have. The Commander is in charge but, cutting off communications was a pretty dumb thing to do. While I also understand crew fatigue, I can not know the issues associated with a rocket lift off and space flight. Though I have no evidence to support that. ) Regardless, I'm pretty sure there were issues, most likely personality conflicts. (Realizing they couldn't have walked far. It's one thing to slow down but, when you just take a day off, basically you just walked off the job. I fully understand why NASA made sure they never flew again. Pretty dumb decision on the Commander/Crew's part IMHO. Originally posted by TheDigitalAlchemist: Pilot John Glenn switched to the manual backup system and was able to regain control of the spacecraft, and the entire reentry sequence was flown (successfully) under manual attitude control. The astronauts' concern was vindicated on the third Mercury mission, the first orbital flight (), when one of the automatic system's attitude control thrusters malfunctioned and the capsule began to yaw uncontrollably. Remember the astronauts' sardonic radio transmissions on those early flights? "The clock is running!" NASA's original response was to install what was essentially an old-fashioned stopwatch in the capsule, and the astronaut was assigned the task of starting it at liftoff. These were qualified and highly experienced test pilots, after all. actually the astronaut's inability to do anything other than go along for the ride. The central issue then was the astronaut's inability to turn off the autopilot and fly the capsule manually. The original Mercury 7 astronauts had nearly mutinied in the early '60s. Eventually their workload was reduced, although NASA ensured that none of the crew ever flew again. They reportedly spent their day off relaxing and taking in the panoramic views of Earth from orbit. During the course of the mission, this culminated in the crew announcing an unscheduled day off, mutinying against Mission Control by turning off the communications radio while getting some rest. Ground crews disagreed they felt that the astronauts were not working long enough or hard enough, and insisted the crew work through their meal times as well as their rest days to catch up. The crew soon found themselves tired and behind schedule.Īs the activation of Skylab progressed, the astronauts complained of being pushed too hard. The schedule for the activation sequence dictated lengthy work periods with a large variety of tasks to be performed. One of their first tasks was to unload and stow within Skylab thousands of items needed for their lengthy mission. However, the all-rookie astronaut crew had problems adjusting to the same workload level as their predecessors when activating the workshop. During the mission a total of 6,051 astronaut-utilization hours were tallied performing scientific experiments in the areas of medical activities, solar observations, Earth resources, observation of the Comet Kohoutek and other experiments. It was each crew member's first space flight. Skylab 4 was the fourth Skylab mission and placed the third crew on board, consisting of Gerald Carr, commander, William Pogue, pilot and Edward Gibson, science pilot.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |