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Author
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Topic: Pressurizing the space shuttle payload bay
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Max Q
Member Posts: 399
From: Whyalla South Australia
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 05-04-2013 02:42 AM
   
I have often wondered, was the space shuttle payload bay a designated work area on orbit? Was it/could it be pressurised? |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-04-2013 04:42 AM
No. Unless you include a module inside the bay like Spacelab. The payload bay doors had to be opened as they serve as cooling systems, if I recall. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1463
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 05-04-2013 06:42 AM
The orbiter has vents along the sides to allow air to escape during ascent and to "repressurize" the bay during entry. The payload bay doors do not have the structural capability to handle pressure nor do the edges have the ability to seal to contain pressure. The interior of the payload bay is only a cloth covering and the inside of the fuselage and wings are readily accessible. There is no volume that can be pressurized. As stated, hence the need for modules such as Spacelab and Spacehab, and additionally, the door serve as place for radiators. |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 05-06-2013 10:29 AM
I remember reading a 1985 issue of Popular Mechanics where the shuttle payload bay would be converted to a passenger cabin however ridiculous that sounds now. Was that ever more than a fantasy within the PM minds or did someone really think that was feasible? I believe it was even the cover story with artwork. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 05-06-2013 10:49 AM
The Shuttle Launch Experience has a similar philosophy - but they use a pressurized module in the payload bay of the shuttle. |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 05-08-2013 04:33 PM
I tried to find the article I was talking about online, but couldn't come up with it. I'm pretty sure it was '85 and Popular Mechanics magazine, but I could be wrong. I remember seeing a an artist's rendering of a shuttle launch with windows along the payload bay. Any help? |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 05-08-2013 05:04 PM
I found the article and some interesting photos. It's on page 59 in the November 1985 issue of Popular Mechanics. Article is "Space Vacations 1995." It seems the article was centered around modules, not outfitting the payload bay itself. Duh. 
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dabolton
Member Posts: 419
From: Seneca, IL, US
Registered: Jan 2009
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posted 05-08-2013 10:09 PM
Looking closely, it's not just a module, they also had changes to the wing configuration (glove strake?). Would these have been necessary to handle additional weight during landing? |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 05-09-2013 10:48 AM
Yeah, I was wondering what a glove strake was? The modified 1983 design seems to be the best design to actually ever implement leaving the shuttle design unaltered. These ideas make me think of some scifi movie like Armageddon, not really based in reality. It was definitely another world back then. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1463
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 05-09-2013 11:18 AM
The strake was to help handle the forward CG of the modules. Remember that Spacelab/hab had tunnels to position the modules in the back of the payload bay |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 05-09-2013 12:08 PM
Found my photos of the Shuttle Launch Experience, including this one showing the placement of the passenger module and MPLM. The shuttle doesn't seem to be modified in the glove strake area... so maybe the MPLM help offset the CG?(Granted, it's only a simulation but I was wondering if there was any "real world" thought as to how a real passenger module would fit in a shuttle.) |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1463
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 05-09-2013 12:21 PM
Look at every shuttle payload layout from all the missions. They start from the back and then fill towards the front. Shuttle Launch Experience layout is a no go. |
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