How The Space Shuttle Started Its Engines And Launched
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- čas přidán 5. 11. 2021
- During the last 10 seconds before launch the Space Shuttle performed thousands to operations to turn on the engines, safely bring them to speed and leave the launch pad. There's dozens of engineering cameras which tracked these operations, and they make for amazing viewing. I used this footage to lay out the operations and explain everything that's happening during this amazingly complex choreographed set of operations that are needed to get the Shuttle off the pad and on its way to space.
Based on Footage from this video produced by NASA
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These launch videos are such eyes candies. It’s interesting to see all those exhaust plume and smoke travelling in slow motion - to see it travels in orderly way as opposed to the powerful chaotic turbulence we would see in the real time footages.
i think the 3/4 aspect ratio further adds to that. you can see all of that at once, onstead of having to scan around with your eyes.
Otherwise known as "First rate rocket porn" LOL
Slow mo or not, it's still turbulent rather than laminar flow, so not orderly at all.
@@samman350, uh oh! You mentioned "laminar flow" -- now I feel the presence of Destin of Smarter Every Day!
The fact that only ten seconds of launch it-self can be expanded in information packed eleven minutes and STILL be highly simplified, is testament of complexity of this whole situation :D
11 minutes to explain 10 seconds. This is quality content.
Also, Space Shuttle is still the coolest spacecraft ever.
Agreed! Sure all the new shuttles are still amazing feats of engineering, but there's just something magical about the space shuttle, nothing can ever compare
Just think what would have happened if only one of the solid rocket boosters had successfully ignited. It doesn't bear thinking about. Luckily that never ever happened.
11 minutes to explain 10 seconds which took years if not decades to design and perfect.
ya and also the most deadly spacecraft ever made
@@robertlindo8058 there are many abort modes for the Space Shuttle that were not survivable. After Challenger, there were some procedural and hardware changes (most noticeably the usage of the orange LES and ACES suits replacing the blue flight suits worn until 1986) that reduced the "LOCV" (loss of crew and vehicle) abort modes, but there were still a few abort or failure modes (including the failure of one SRB at any point in flight) that were just not survivable. Until STS-51L, even the failure of any two SSMEs up to reaching a transatlantic abort altitude would have resulted in LOCV. A triple SSME flameout (pre-51L) with the boosters still attached and running would have actually led to the structural failure and breakup of the orbiter. Lots of stuff going on in spaceflight that's basically zero-failure tolerant.
Great explanation of the startup process, Scott. I was the Quality Assurance Manager for the Solid Rocket Boosters and External Tank processing as well as processing of the entire vehicle once rolled out to the Pad. I started as an inspector working on all those systems with operations and engineering. I spent 29 years out there and loved every minute of it. Keep up the great work!
When people asked you what you did for a living, what was your response?
@@EmptyGlass99 “I review the quality of some metal pieces, *no big deal* “
@@ateyaba7253 I was the QAM for the SRB and ET processing, duh! What a career in space, wow!
Any significant changes to your job, or your immediate work environment, after Challenger, then Columbia?
What an amazing opportunity !
That shot of the engine bell wiggling back and forth between oval shape and round at 6:55 always amazed me; the pure power and fury of what was happening to that big piece of metal was astonishing. Watching live shuttle launches was a thrill that never got old. The engine startup was like a shot of adrenaline.
The main engines also started a few milliseconds apart to lower the stress of startup. It's kind of like how battleships fire their guns at a fast ripple instead of one giant blast.
Yeah and those engines are NOT small, they are taller than people but they move like paper here. It's insane to think of what we have accomplished.
I love both that and when they have full combustion and gimbal into place.
Thanks for the timestamp, I missed that. Wow.
It's vibrating at 20 Hz if anyone cares
I always liked the description of the SRBs as "when those ignited, the question wasn't whether you were going to space, but how much of Florida you were taking with you"
Or as Don Pettit said, "when the SRBs light, there's no question. You're gonna fly." CORRECTION: that quote is Bruce Bartolini, Lockheed-Martin Space Operations launch team manager, and it was this: "When those SRBs light, there is no recall. You're going flying." I dug it out from my _Air & Space_ Shuttle issue of Spring 2011.
Maybe I'm dense but I don't get it. What do you mean by taking Florida with you? I get that the SRBs can't be aborted. But... I don't see how any of Florida comes with you.
@@xliquidflames The interaction with the turbulent boundary layer in the nozzle causes a shock effect which momentarily wraps Florida around the whole shuttle stack. The unknown factor is how much sticks. There's a lot of hair cream in Florida so most of it slides right off, but not always.
@@ontheruntonowhere How about when Apollo-Soyuz took a Canaveral mosquito along for the ride?
@@xliquidflames The implication was that you were going to launch, no matter what. So if the hold-down clamps didn't release, they were going to be pulled along. In turn, that meant the launch pad was coming with you. In turn, the land the launch pad was built in to, etc. It's called a joke.
And now imagine all the flat earthers who think NASA went to all this effort just to pretend that the earth is round....
And then the ones who claim we really haven't been to the moon. With a very strong telescope you can see tracks from the rovers and debris.
The first SSME live firing I saw was on my first day working for Rocketdyne at Stennis. I remember being in awe of the power as I watched the test from only 1/4 mile away. I witnessed (and eventually ran) a lot of SSME tests in the years following that day. By far the most fun I've had in my 25 year career.
I visited Stennis back in the summer of 1995 while stationed at Keesler AFB for training. I consider myself lucky to have observed a SSME test that day. I had no idea it would vibrate the pant legs of my bluejeans from a quarter-mile away. Awesome!
For such a 'heavy' and expensive field of endeavour, it's always interesting when someone involved in it describes it as "fun" :)
And those beautiful RS-25s will now be on a one way trip to the bottom of the Atlantic. Hopefully they get the coverage they deserve with 4K video during the launch and start up.
I just hope the bloody thing gets off the ground without a RUD.
It's sad to think that the RS-25 are going to be destroyed. They were a marvel of engineering that shouldn't be single use items. That being said the entire STS program was something of a boondoggle that set the American space program back a few years. The upside is that it made space flight so expensive that it opened the door to private companies outside of government dependents like ULA.
The reason i despise sls.
better go on fishing trip 👍
@@longshot7601 I think they're all government dependents, running at a loss in anticipation of gov't money in the near future. (ULA being the exception, thanks to being exempted from anti-trust laws.) There's no profit in the absence of NASA and the DOD, and that's going to remain true for years to come. Comms satellites alone can't pay the bills.
Thanks! This was great!
Yes! Very cool.
Just once, I wish someone had yelled "By the power of Greyskull, I HAVE THE POWER!!!" during a launch.
That was poetry !
Glorious rocket porn, indeed. Manley, yes.
Ya, that was really cool!
Dont get me wrong, the things we are doing right now with space travel is insane. Rockets that can land themselves, going back to the moon, and going to mars here in a "few" years.... but my god look at that footage. Nothing beats a launch of a space shuttle. Just pure beautiful power and engineering. And they made all that with minimal computer help compared to todays tech.
Nothing we're doing today is nearly as impressive as that space shuttle. NASA and the US government made a big mistake by retiring the space shuttle.
"In technical terms they call this... 'twang'" Love that!!
Hi Scott--Very nicely done. I'd like to add a few things that I hope you might find helpful--Regarding the preburner oxidizer valve opening profiles (OPOV and FPOV) the 'dipsy-doodle' nature of these is because of the nature of the initial hydrogen flow into the preburners (especially the Fuel Preburner). When the Start begins, the Main Fuel Valve is ramped open at (essentially) max rate. This causes the downstream fuel lines (the 'steer horns' on the nozzle extension) as well as the nozzle tubes to be 'filled' with hydrogen. The nozzle extension is made from 1080 stainless steel tubes of about 1/4 inch basic diameter each. A VERY high quality heat exchanger! For the next 2 - 2.5 seconds, the fuel system feeding the preburners 'chugs' at its first natural frequency (about 2 Hertz) as that system tries to achieve thermal equilibrium. The hydrogen supply pressure to the preburners oscillates during this period at something like 80 psi 'peak-to-peak'. The 2 high pressure turbines have very strict temperature limits, therefore the mixture ratio going into each preburner has to be 'controlled' (quotes because it isn't really 'controlled'--all of this stuff is open-loop) to keep temperatures from getting out of hand. The opening profile on the FPOV (especially) does what it does to attempt to keep the incoming LOX flow 'in sync' with the oscillating fuel flow. We should make note that it doesn't always work--the start of an SSME is not 'deterministic' as such. We still get temperature spikes in the fuel preburner--we've had some as high as 4000 deg R. Some occur in the Oxidizer Preburner also--STS-68 was an example of such. It takes about 2-and-a-half seconds for this situation to sort itself out. Also note that in some cases (around 5% of the time) the oscillating fuel pressure just doesn't happen--no one knows why. The preburner valve profiles then had to be modified again so that the engine would start acceptably well in either case. Note that the Fuel Preburner is intended to 'start' at Start Command + 1.4 seconds. The Main Combustion Chamber is intended to 'start' at Start Command + 1.5 seconds. This brings up fuel pump turbine 'back pressure' and prevents overspeed. The Oxidizer Preburner is intended to 'start' at Start Command + 1.6 seconds, although that is not as critical as the relation of Fuel Preburner-to-Main Chamber 'start'. This sequencing changed a bit with incorporation of the Pratt & Whitney turbopumps, but for the configuration of the engine you show, and the start sequence plot you show, those are the numbers. Thank you very much.
Thanks for sharing! I would love to read more about this. Are such details available somewhere?
What a legend! Awesome insight!
You might want to consider being a LabPadre commentator.
is "Degrees R" Rankine?
How can you determine all that from the video?
Joke...
Explaining the white pressure threshold with the ambient air was outstanding. It's comforting to know that there are people out there that actually understand these things and can explain them so clearly for the rest of us. Thanks Scott!
I was thinking the same thing. Watching those beautiful but violent white/blue ripples is visually satisfying, but understanding how important it is to get them outside of the engine bell as quickly as possible are very important.
The engines are splayed into the "start" position not only to prevent the engine bells from colliding, but also as a thrust alleviation as the twang loads are applied to the stack. Engine 2 and 3 are gimballed away from each other in the start position, then move together for the liftoff position. If the engines started in their liftoff position, yes the engine bells would be in more danger of collision during startup, while at the same time increasing the twang loads applied to the stack during startup prior to launch. We have to remember that all these off center thrust loads are translated via the SRB field joints. SLS will not have to deal with these "twang" loads that STS did. A few days before launch, the SLS stack will be unbolted from the Mobile Launcher. Since there are no twang loads from the SLS stack, no T minus Zero pyros are need to release the stack from the ML/MLP. In STS days there were 4 frangible nuts that held each SRB to the ML/MLP(Mobile Launcher Apollo and Space Launch System/Mobile Launcher Platform=Shuttle=Space Transportation system. These nuts were detonated via 2 redundant NSD's(NASA Standard Detonators) per nut, 4 nuts per SRB 8 nuts per stack. These charges were initiated along with the SRB T minus Zero signals which lit the starting charges at the top of each SRB. These charges cause a flame front along the entire inner surface of the SRB propellant face. Varying the exact inner shape of the solid propellant allows a certain amount of "throttling" to occur. When the 3 Space Shuttle Main Engines which supply just 1.2 million pounds of thrust at liftoff while the 2 SRBs provide 6.4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff throttle down from just over 6 million pounds thrust down to 4.4 million pounds thrust just before entering the area of maximum dynamic pressure(MAXQ), the SSMEs reduce from 104.5% rated power level down to 67-72%RPL, while at the same time the SRBs thrust decreases thus allowing the Shuttle stack to not crush itself like an aluminum can as it accelerates into the supersonic regime of flight. Following MaxQ, the 3 SSMEs go throttle back up to 104.5% and the SRBs thrust increases up to 5 million pounds thrust. The RSRMV(Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor V=five for 5 segment motor) will have 4 RS25 engines that have actually flown on many Shuttle missions already. The quartet will thrust at 109% RPL, while the new 5 segment RSRMV's will thrust with approx. 4 million x 2 pounds force thrust off the pad. While there have been 5-6 tests of a 5 segment RSRM or FSB Five Segment Booster, they have all been horizontal and have never been fired in the vertical launch position.
wow... ok.. leads to question... how do you reduce thrust of the solid rocket boosters (kind that were on the shuttle)? You mentioned that they were on max thrust at liftoff, then reduced thrust at MaxQ, then re-vamped up to near max thrust after MaxQ. How?
I thought these were fire-and-forget kind of boosters?
Thanks.
@@capt2278 I’m not an expert by any means but I think solid rocket motors thrust profile depends on the geometry of the grain (solid rocket propellant).
The booster must have some sort of hole that cuts through the length of the propellant to channel the exhaust downwards and out through the nozzle.
Different shaped and sized holes have different burn speeds which creates different levels of thrust over the course of the burn.
In other words…
I’m assuming The Space Shuttles SRB might have been preprogrammed (via grain geometry) to burn slower and weaker just before it was expected to reach max Q so that in effect they were throttling down.
@@kfcking9548 thanks KFC.
Unfortunately with each SLS launch, that will be the end of those magnificent RS 25's that served the Shuttle for 30 years, since SLS is expendable (WTF....). Too bad they didn't even try to preserve a set of them in a museum.
I've often wondered why engine 2 and 3 gimballed away from each other in the start position, then moved together during engine start....thanks.
Scott, you have simply outdone yourself with this one. I have watched this astounding sequence at least a dozen times in complete awe that such a document can even exist, never mind be of impeccable photographic quality. No living thing could survive a millisecond of the conditions extant at any point past ignition, yet our eyes are present, focused, and aperture-adapted to perfection in multiple locations for the entire process. As the hold-down bolts’ charges explode and 6 million pounds literally leaps off the stand with flawless alignment, I am reminded that essentially, I am witnessing the impossible.
About the covers over the thrusters, neat story- they originally wanted to use Teflon plugs to cover them in order to prevent rainwater accumulation that could freeze during ascent. They decided to use butcher paper instead since it was lightweight, commercially available (ask your local butcher!), it would easily dislodge during the first thruster firing, and above all, it stopped water from entering the thruster nozzles. After STS-107 they switched to Tyvek covers, since I guess they were finding chunks of paper in the window seals (which probably gave the engineers nightmares!). The newer nose thruster seals had parachutes which caused them to detach in a more predictable manner during ascent (usually as the Shuttle cleared the tower).
(Watching those bursting thruster covers during this video also gives me a clear indication of what would happen to your eardrums if you were there during SSME ignition...). Thanks for posting this video, Scott!
Good explanation GaFoot72. I bonded a few of those in my day. I also removed some butcher paper from the gaps between the window tiles and the thermal window pane. Good times.
I was just in the VAB today for a walk down in preparation of some insulation blanket work in the Iaunch vehicle. Even for a 25 year shuttle veteran, this SLS rocket is an amazing sight to see. Very much looking forward to the launch.
@@charlieromeo7663 Very cool! And thanks, I guess my years of space geekery pays off sometimes... Yeah I'm pretty excited for SLS too. It's really coming together in the VAB is it? Good to hear, sounds like it's an amazing bird indeed. Take good care of her in the meantime!
Not just your eardrums, but probably several of your organs. I can't imagine the violence of that sound at close range.
@@RCAvhstape The Saturn V caused a pressure wave so intense that the low troughs of the sound waves actually created a momentary vacuum before the next compression. It sounded like the air was crackling. What a monster.
I can watch Shuttle launches all day. Even though I have seen these clips countless times, it's always a treat with Scott commenting about all the bits n bobs. Fortunate were those who got to experience Shuttle launches first hand.
I was one of those fortunate few. I can only say that video does the experience no justice at all. It was a visceral, all encompassing sensory overload.
AGREED! We need more scott manley shuttle videos! I was never lucky enough to see a launch, but WAS lucky enough to see Discovery on the shuttle carrier aircraft approach and land at Dulles Airport. My work is on the final approach path to runway 1R, so each pass was DIRECTLY over our building which was amazing... also got to see Enterprise and Discovery nose-to-nose at the Air and Space Museum before Enterprise departed. I'll miss that bird, but Discovery will always be the most incredible shuttle to ever fly; simply an incredible resume. The way the NASM prepped her for display was wonderful, it still looks like she had just completed reentry.. plasma and scorch marks off the nose and belly upward, etc... just jaw-dropping every time I walk in there.
Except a few that experienced the inside view and then not much more.
@@johndododoe1411 You're right. It was a flawed design. Killed 14 astronauts in 135 flights.
@@karlrobinson4887 True. It was no where near perfect. But, a true engineering masterpiece nevertheless. Basically a flat-bed with a crane that could fly to space.
This is the reason why YT is my only social media addiction.
This video answered a ton of questions I have always had regarding different aspects of a launch. Thank You.
I'm 70 years old and had just graduated from HS when we first landed on the moon. The Space Shuttle program that followed was a fascinating extension of our space-going program. This video answers some questions I had about the Shuttle launch technology. In particular, the ROFIs. I had assumed all these years that they were what actually ignited the Shuttle engines on launch. Interesting to learn they actually combusted stray hydrogen molecules for safety reasons. Never too old to learn (and appreciate), I guess.
Same here Norm, I thought the ROFIs (as I now know what they are called!) were to actually "light the fuse" and ignite the gas from the engines. It's interesting that they have a defined function, and that's not it!
I thought as well with the ROFIs.
I always loved watching it launch. It looked so powerful. Especially in slow motion. And the sounds!! Never been to a launch but there are a few great videos with awesome sounds here on CZcams.
I was lucky enough to saw it launch once. When i got my first job as a pilot i was sent to Daytona Beach for my initial 737 type rating and we realized that there was a shuttle start. So we drove over to the cape and as close as we could, which was miles away. It was still impressive to feel that incredible rumble and see it launch into the evening sky. Must have been STS-97 from what i can find on the NASA homepage.
I do appreciate that in depth slow motion explain from Scott, it really shows the many intricate parts that have to work together to get that thing to launch.
The video of the two women watching! At first they are joyously amazed, but when the sound hits, they look frightened.
So much of rocket engine design is "we changed things until they stopped destroying themselves."
I always love to watch a Shuttle launch sequence, especially starting at T-9:00. The call at T-0:31 go for auto sequence start still puts shivers down my spine.
I remember the night launches as otherworldly events. Simply fascinating that so much power could be controlled in such an elegant way.
The sound of the space shuttle starting is amazing, and those blue cones forming in the exhaust seem almost magical.
That is SO cool..
I've seen snippets of this footage for many years.. but to have your expert analysis commentary over the top makes it all the more awesome.. :)
Thanks Scott 👍
This guy is amazing... He can make techinical procedures about the shuttle program extremly understandable. I have never found better videos on the shuttle abort steps than his.
A friend's father was a turbopump specialist at Rocketdyne. I really enjoyed talking with Lou over a cup of coffee. The shaft seals on the RS25 turbopumps were a bizarre design. As I understand, the shaft had multiple stair steps, but no mechanical seal. As gas flowed past each step, a vortex resulted. Apparently they leaked like all hell until all the vortices were established, then the magic sealing happened. When the designer proposed the design, many thought that he was daft. He was later regarded as genius.
Sounds like a Tesla valve
Labyrinth seals have been used in steam turbines for over 100 years. They work very well and without much maintenance
There is a very, very thin line between a complete madman and a genius. I have to agree with him being a genius.
Well done Scott. I do wish that SpaceX and NASA would use photochemical high speed cameras on their future launches, but I doubt that will ever happen.
well with the digital ones they use, they can start troubleshooting immediately rather than having to wait for film to develop... kinda hard to argue against that advantage, and all the other hassles of real film
@Fran @moonasha, why not both? Set them both up next to each other to grab seperate forms of data from the same angle using to very different technologies
I enjoyed your Saturn engine video.
@@SireSmitty Fundamental problem of photochemical film for rocket diagnostics is getting the film at all after any event, even success. Video transmissions can be near instantly moved to a safe location.
The advantage of film over digital: longevity.
Film is completely impervious to anything you could come up with that might cause digital media to go belly-up. A fully mechanical camera with film will be chooching no matter what. That is not to say „don’t use digital“, mind you. But if you take something like 35 or even 70 mm film and add that to the digital stuff, just in case…you can still get 4k footage (or better) out of that. It is a a well developed (no pun intended), tried and tested technology and probably the best fallback option money can buy.
I have watched the original video so many times and my absolutely favourite part is watching the engine bells flexing during startup, so mesmerizing and powerful. I loved the side-by with the graph showing the startup sequence, very interesting!
This is by far one one of my most favorite videos from you! Well done good sir!
Every time you make a video on how different rocket engines work my mind keeps getting blown away realizing just how incredibly complex these engines are!
I like how rather than "FIRST" comments we get "Hullo!" comments
First✋
I'm typically first by a measure of hours, so what better statement than hullo?
Hooylo!
Onion you kk
Cap-shewl
Serves as a good reminder to load up my ISO of the "Ascent: Tribute to Shuttle" DVD and rewatch this plus "Riding the Booster" once again. The film footage is incredible quality, thanks for sharing it Scott.
Remember those "music" videos NASA would release of the launches!? Epic
"Riding the Booster" I probably watch like once a week. With headphones hearing the groan of metal and exhaust is really something!
The NASA video “Riding the Booster” is indeed an under appreciated gem of space shuttle footage spliced together. The sounds reverberating through the structure of the SRB during free fall after separation are amazing.
- Captain? The bolts are still keeping the nozzle.
- Put this gas pedal a little more to the metal but not much.
- We ripped some hardened steel, sir.
- Good. Jane, take us off, please.
- Yes, sir.
In 3rd grade we had someone come to our school to talk about the space shuttle and they brought one of the tie down bolts, it was hefty, took both hands to lift it.
“Rocket porn” indeed: another excellent video, Scott. Helps us amateur newbies appreciate the complexity of “stage zero” & what SpaceX are trying to build in record time at Boca Chica. Hold-down clamps, quick disconnect arms, wobbly closed-loop control of engine start-up sequences. They may have mastered these things with Falcon, but as this video shows, they’ve had to start all over again with this stuff for Starship, and at a whole other level…
There's not much that's more of a beautiful sight than seeing the SSME fire and come up to full power. The shock coming off as it builds power is amazing in my eye
It's sooo much more interesting watching these videos now, than it was when I first started school as an aerospace engineer. Now that I'm in thermodynamics, and other core engineering courses, I see the images and hear you talking about the processes, only to further think about temperature-pressure-volume relationships, and entropic-enthalpic concepts within the systems that you discuss. thank you for the continued inspiration Mr. Manley, and as always, "Fly safe!"
scott this is my new favorite video on the internet, thank you so much for running through all that, you answered some questions i've had rolling around for a few years.
I love you Scott Manley. Planning to name my 1st born after you ... but he (now 19 yrs old) just nixed that idea. Seriously, great video as always. Perfect combo of scientific knowledge, research, humility & humor. Thanks!
SSME's: "We can go from initial start-up to full thrust in under 10 seconds!"
SRB's: "Hold my beer."
There is nothing quite so " ON" as an SRB once lit. ;)
If once ligthed up, the SRB will burn until they are out of fuel. this is the "V1 moment". Now you have to go...
The SSME can be shout down at anny moment....
Hold my twang
@@Zzzlol94 Hey, whoa... we don't have to bring drugs into this...
Hold my ammonium perchlorate.
I watched the original video awhile back. It's amazing how much happens in that first few seconds of the launch. The man who's explaining everything does it really well too.
I've reached the point in life where things I watched live are now historical.
For all its flaws and shortcomings... what a majestic, beautiful and awestriking vehicle.
Damn I miss the shuttle! It was such an incredible vehicle and spectacular to watch. I grew up I central Florida and never tired of watching the launches. Within 10 seconds after liftoff we could see the vehicle in the sky with the naked eye. We would watch the watch the countdown and launch to clearing the tower on TV and then race outside to watch the remainder.
Fantastic, I've always marveled at the lighting of those three engines. Your explanation was so detailed and informative and showed me how much I'd missed!
Footage like this should always be shot on film. Preferably 60mm, 70mm or better. We should have be able to rescan down the road for future display resolutions.
As a space nerd since the early sixties I watched launch after launch and marveled at the majesty and the incredible science. Hats off to you Scott for an highly skilled job of editing, composition and second by second narration. Wow!
Sometimes in hindsight it's hard to believe that we actually flew such a crazy design. Engineers can make almost anything work.
The engine nozzle wobble from the flow separation and its transition to the shock diamonds are some of my favorite imagery ever!
The breakdown was super. The ingenuity of the people who designed the rockets is just another level
I don't know how many times I've watched that launch video, but it gives me goosebumps every time.
I wish spaceX could do this for their launches.
SpaceX probably does obtain this type of data, but they're no bold enough to show it. Amazing how they lose the video feed on barge landings.
@@charlieromeo7663 they do but its mostly sensors now, and i think they are bold enough, it's just not as necessary.
There is a video why the video cuts during landings, alignment with satellites etc.
I'd seen the running video commentary that the Shuttle engineers had made on the liftoff sequence but this video brings the description to a whole new level! Much appreciated!
Until a few days ago, I never knew about the hold-down bolts that held the SRB's in place. This was an awesome video.
Absolutely love this Scott. Somehow, the fact it's all shot on film and you can actually see the sprocket holes makes it even more special.
YES!!!! I love when Mr. Manley talks about the Space Shuttle. My cousin flew on the shuttle several times.
Scott need to talk to your cousin!
@@seanj3667 I don't know if he will or not. I'm sure he would if Scott reached out to him but he has pretty much gone media silent since he retired. The last time I ever saw him on tv was on cnn the day Columbia disintegrated over Texas.
This was a really exceptional video. Made me realize just how much I miss watching Shuttle launches.
Thanks, Scott!
Thank Obama.
1:23 little did we know it would launch on November 16 2022
THIS NEVER EVER GETS OLD!!!!!
Well done much appreciated!
This may be your finest video. Simply amazing. I kept running the video back so I could see each detail that you pointed out. Can you do a video showing anomalous conditions that caused aborts in this style? Again, simply amazing... fantastic.
I am in love with your channel! I loved watching those Space Shuttle launch videos earlier but never thought how interesting the startup of the behemoth could be!
This has got to be one of the best explanaitions of any subject on CZcams. Everytime I wanted to ask a question it got answered in the next sentence. This is like Dennis Brain level talent.
That final split second overhead shot of the 'detach & go' is super cool, especially after your detailed explanation of all the individual parts of the process.
I never thought much of the engine bells wobbling until I met one up close and felt just how solid they are. Let me tell you, it's not made of cardboard or cardboard derivatives.
Well you don't want the back falling off.
Is corrugated steel a cardboard derivative?
@@johndododoe1411 everyone knows that corrugated steel or corrugated cardboard doesn't make a difference because both can be corrugated equally.
New conspiracy theory: the STS was all cardboard. The external tank was extra cardboardy
@@thenasadude6878 This probably explains why they've had so much trouble getting it to flight readyness.
Never hire a Hollywood prop maker to do a rocket engineer's job?? XD
(Also known as "somewhere down the line of subcontractors, there was some confusion")
@@nickierv13 Yep, cardboard's out...
Yeeted to LEO! 🚀
The original videos referenced are totally worth a watch. I think I watch it 2-3 times a year.
Me too!
In another video about the Shuttle launch, the narrator said at some point, that the Shuttle computer, when ready, would in effect tell the launch system to "let me go." For some reason, I always cried at that. Making the Shuttle most human at that moment. Let me go indeed.
This video never gets old for me and one of the most detailed yet simple to understand explanation of the ignition process of those RS-25 engines on CZcams I have seen. Sorry its taken this long to comment.
One of your best Mr. Manley! Love seeing and understanding!!! ❤️🚀
I never noticed the 2 spring-like devices on the outside of the hold-downs. Maybe just coils of wire or something. Forget onlyfans. These videos are top quality content.
“Oh yeah, check out the lip of that flow separation.” True nerd pronz.
Those are the blasting caps i beleive
Of all your YT presentations, this is my favorite so far.
You've set a high bar for yourself
that flow separation in the main engine bell.... beautiful!
Gasp! I think I was holding my breath for all 11:50!
Beautiful footage splendidly presented.
Greetings from Kent, Scott!
Not gonna lie, I usually get bored during these type of videos, but this was so interesting!!! Thank you!
Very cool. Loved seeing the last 10 seconds in slow motion. Finally got to see many things I never had before and wanted to see.
Thank you for this video.
That footage is amazing! Especially of the umbilical release process. You rarely get to see all the other cool engineering parts in action. Awesome video 👍
Yessss! Exciting to watch, can't wait for the launch of RocketHub 🚀
Even if you consider its failures this was amazing ship. Its so much easer to never have a failure with a capsule. A ship that returns from orbit and then does it again wow. If starship can pull this off and thats a big if. It will also be amazing
It's worth noting the F1 turbine exhaust wasn't just dumped overboard uselessly -- it was injected into the nozzle extension and formed a layer to insulate the metal from the heat of the main combustion (in hires video of the Saturn V launches, this cooler exhaust "sleeve" is the dark area right after the nozzle) and also added (per a video with Luke Talley) about 18K lbs of thrust, small but not wasted.
An absolute "Stare at the screen I cannot avert my eyes" video ! What a great delivery of technical info that is easy to follow along.
Air & Space magazine did an article probably 15 years ago about all the fluid flow, pressure changes, valve synchronization and timing etc. believe they said something like if you could explain all the intricacies of what happened on ignition you would qualify for a PHD in that field. might have been in an article titled 8 minutes in hell or something like that.
When we casually use the expression “rocket science” to denote something complicated few understand just how complex rocket science (especially the engineering) really is.
And your (excellent, as always) video is of just ten seconds’ worth of the mission - and just part of the launch mechanism!
Rocket science is the easy part. Rocket ENGEINEERING is the part where all the wheels fall off all the theoreticians' Little Red Wagons (and if you work in what passes for the British Space effort like I do, you shouldn't be surprised to know there's a lot of what amounts to guys pottering around in - literally - converted garden sheds to produce stuff which has gone all over the Solar System - these very dedicated guys being paid slightly less than average wage to do that job)
@@miscbits6399
I do hope they spray the equipment for greenfly and black spot before launch? As per the memoranda on space contamination.
I always enjoy your videos Scott, but this one is truly outstanding. Thank you so much.
One of the coolest videos I’ve seen. Thank you for the through explanation of the launch sequence. I’ve always wondered what exactly happened during a launch.
I think there's a good argument to be made that the twang motion, while a designed-in feature of the shuttle launch sequence (and a necessary consequence of using solid and liquid engines that can't be ignited simultaneously), was a critical mistake in the Shuttle's concept, having placed significant structural loads on the boosters and their section joints. Maybe not the most important cause of the Challenger's destruction, but possibly a significant contributor.
Ignorance caused the Challenger explosion!Nasa was warned about what the cold could do to the seals,and they decided to launch anyway.
@@dochlldy Not so much ignorance as arrogance and the time honoured aerospace attitude of "We've launched/flown before like this, therefore it must be safe!"
This has a lot to do with why aerospace safety rules are "written with tombstones" - reactive rather than proactive
@@dochlldy As they've mentioned. It's FAR more widespread in airlines, but can happen to everyone. Routine becomes tedious, and you begin to want to cut corners to speed and smooth it along.
It may work once, it may work twice, it may even work 100 times.
But sooner or later said slack WILL come back to bite you in the ass if you dont tighten it up first.
Maybe if I’ll be as smart as Scott, I’ll also have his wonderful haircut? 😂
Its a solar panel for his augments
It helps to keep his overclocked brain from overheating.
It's for aerodynamic stability and fuel efficient when flying safe.
I could listen to this dude all day.
this was amazing. its crazy to think shuttle had sometimes to use force to pop the bolts as backup plan
I miss the Shuttle!
For comparison's sake now, I really want to see what a Raptor Vacuum ignited at sea level looks like
Well, we do have video of that online, i don't see what stops you
Scott did it again!! I think these launch sequences of different engined need to be a series
Thank you. That was truly amazing. Beautiful film footage and brilliant description of the events.
Man, this was the best dump I’ve taken in a WHILE
The cameras and their film are engineering marvels in themselves. To be able to cover such a wide range of exposure and produce such detailed images without noise at these incredible framerates is just mindblowing. Same goes for the original Saturn footage from the 60s and 70s.
That was impressive and informative! Thank you!
Fascinating. Nicely put together and explained.
I didn't realize I was into rocket porn until now.
It definitely puts a different spin on what's going on when someone explained it as it's happening.
I miss seeing the faint blue glow of the RS-25's. It was nice to see them once again for the SLS green run. It's a shame we're just going to be throwing them away after each launch.
Great vid Scott, thanks for sharing.
Wow, this is super awesome and beautifully done. Thanks Scott for sharing!