David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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This is an image of an Astronaut in the Manned Maneuvering Unit holding position just in front of the airlock door (on the left with the brass colored handrail arc) of the Quest airlock of the International Space Station. Atlantis is docked to the station and it is visible at the right.
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here is a bit wider view showing the rather unusual Quest Airlock (the sort of "merry go round" on the left) as well as the structures around it and the shuttle in the background.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here, astronauts on board Atlantis have completed a successful grapple of the Hubble Space Telescope as the shuttle approaches Baja California. The arm is fully maneuverable in the ORBITER simulator program, so you can deploy HST from the payload bay and watch things like the solar panels unfold, the antennae deploy, and the telescope door open. You can also do scenarios requiring rendezvous with HST and grapple for servicing missions.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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cncb
sage
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 402
Loc: Scandinavia
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David.These images are truly outstanding.Keep at it.Hope it`s ok i use one of them as my wallpaper?Be well.
Best regards.
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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For Astronomy Day, we will see how people do flying the Shuttle in ORBITER, as we have it set up with a video projector in one of the galleries at Morrill Hall (University of Nebraska, Lincoln). I have plenty of demo flights recorded, so if a few people get frustrated, they can see how it is really done (well, at least most of the time). Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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Paul Rix
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/06/04
Posts: 2923
Loc: Zanesville, Ohio,USA
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David, have you used Space Shuttle Mission 2007? It looks to be pretty impressive but is a commercial product ($49). I have been trying to find a side by side comparison between SSM2007 and Orbiter but so far I haven't found one online.
http://www.space-shuttle-mission.com/
and a link to some SSM2007 You Tube videos..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9YPwHIQQk
Looks pretty good.
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Climbing the Learning Curve
Meade 10" LX200 Classic: WO 66SD.
Philips SPC900NC, DMK21AU04.AS, Meade DSI Pro and DSI Pro II.
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Quote:
David, have you used Space Shuttle Mission 2007? It looks to be pretty impressive but is a commercial product ($49). I have been trying to find a side by side comparison between SSM2007 and Orbiter but so far I haven't found one online.
http://www.space-shuttle-mission.com/
and a link to some SSM2007 You Tube videos..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9YPwHIQQk
Looks pretty good.
It looks OK, but with Orbiter and the Shuttle Fleet pack, I can get pretty much the same visuals and performance (and for nothing). Also, that commercial program is for the shuttle only (no "delta glider" secondary spacecraft) and does not appear to have the ability to accept 3rd party add-ons that are not directly shuttle related. This rules out using the dozens of spacecraft, surface meshes, and other add-ons which make ORBITER so fascinating. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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Paul Rix
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/06/04
Posts: 2923
Loc: Zanesville, Ohio,USA
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I'm sure there are pros and cons to both. You certainly can't argue at the price of Orbiter. The commercial product, from what I have read, is very checklist orientated with accurate panels, switches and systems. I would say that your Orbiter screenshots are superior from a visual standpoint. Visuals aside, how detailed are the panels and systems in the downloaded Shuttle pack for Orbiter?
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Climbing the Learning Curve
Meade 10" LX200 Classic: WO 66SD.
Philips SPC900NC, DMK21AU04.AS, Meade DSI Pro and DSI Pro II.
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Quote:
I'm sure there are pros and cons to both. You certainly can't argue at the price of Orbiter. The commercial product, from what I have read, is very checklist orientated with accurate panels, switches and systems. I would say that your Orbiter screenshots are superior from a visual standpoint. Visuals aside, how detailed are the panels and systems in the downloaded Shuttle pack for Orbiter?
Pretty detailed! You lose some of the "easy" helpful tools and MFD's (Multi-function Displays) from the stock Atlantis version in place of the *actual* CRT display MFDs and command requirements of the real shuttle cockpit. You have to do a lot of the "behind the scene" things that the astronauts have to do before launch (vehicle check-out, loading guidance programs, setting switches, etc.) and which were taken care of when you launched the stock Atlantis, so you are really really busy (and you *really* have to know what you are doing). Still, the fleet shuttles do have autopilots, so once you initiate launch, you don't actually have to fly much in the same way that you have to fly the stock shuttle during ascent. Right now, there seems to have been some sort of cyber-vandal "attack" by someone against the guy who wrote the pack and the upgrades, so he has withdrawn from providing any support or further upgrades, at least until he can stabilize things, but it still works for now. Here below is a shot of Atlantis on final approach to the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC from the north. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here is the shuttle Atlantis late in ascent now "upright" after a roll flying up the east coast of the U.S. northeast of Cape Hatteras on its way to a rendezvous with the International Space Station.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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It is tough to capture what is felt before an early morning launch, but maybe this does....
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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Paul Rix
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/06/04
Posts: 2923
Loc: Zanesville, Ohio,USA
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Nice shots David.. how about some interior shots?
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Climbing the Learning Curve
Meade 10" LX200 Classic: WO 66SD.
Philips SPC900NC, DMK21AU04.AS, Meade DSI Pro and DSI Pro II.
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Well, other than the three shots of the interior of the cockpit already posted (Commander's view, Pilot's seat, and the aft flight deck), there isn't a lot to see in the interior other than what is on the multi-function displays. Here is a shot by an intrepid space-walking astronaut of the forward section of the payload bay. The nose of the orbiter is towards the top, and the two overhead rendezvous windows can be seen top-center. Below this is the forward bulkhead of the payload bay which has the cabin payload bay windows at the top, two TV cameras to the left and right of center, and several astronaut handholds (yellowish bars). Dominating the lower half of the picture is the the external airlock/docking adapter which is used for docking with the International Space Station. The circular opening in the middle with the three internally-opening trapezoidal panels is the actual docking port itself. At the bottom of the picture is the hatch for the airlock to be used for astronauts exiting the airlock when the spacecraft is away from ISS.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here is a shot of just two of the many multi-function displays (MFDs) which are available in Orbiter. The left one is the "eight ball" attitude display, and is standard with every spacecraft in Orbiter. It indicates not only spacecraft orientation, but velocity (any of *four* modes), rate of climb/dive, vertical acceleration, heading, angle of attack, and a host of other items concerning the flight of the spacecraft. The CRT on the right is one of the six pages of display from the Space Shuttle's General Purpose Computer (GPC), configured in this particular display for the horizontal situation (situation specific) indicator. I don't often use it, as I can select a regular aircraft "dual dial" horizontal situation indicator which is useful in lining up to the runways for landing. The CRTs shown here are for the shuttle's cockpit view. These are less clear than they are in the Generic Cockpit mode (i.e., the "invisible spacecraft" mode), where you see space around you and only two CRT displays and pitch ladder superimposed on the view. I do most of my flying of the shuttle in the Generic Cockpit mode, as the displays are easier to read and the view is much better for navigating than trying to peer out the spacecraft windows. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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This is what the "virtual Cockpit" looks like during a rendezvous with ISS. In the center is the "square tunnel" heads-up display for alignment with the proper approach path to the docking port. On the left is the "eight ball" Multi-function display, while on the lower right is the docking guidance display.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Just for those wondering what I am running, the machine is an AMD Athlon XP 2600+ (1.92 GHz) with 1 GB of memory and an NVIDIA GeForce 5500 graphics board. The operating system is Windows XP. The original display is done at 1280x1024 pixels, but was downsized to the current display size for posting on Cloudynights. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here is a view taken from the top of the Fixed Service Structure just after SRB ignition as the shuttle begins to rise away from the pad:
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here is a shot of the Solid Rocket Boosters moving away from the shuttle a few moments after SRB separation:
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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This is a ground view of an afternoon launch of Atlantis from Launch Complex 39B. The camera location is on top of a "ventilation" room located to the southwest of the pad, although you can put your location pretty much where ever you want in the area.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Here is a long range shot past the Vehicle Assembly Building as Atlantis rises near sunset on its way to deploy a low-inclination satellite:
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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