Goin' almost Mach 1...
May. 11th, 2001 01:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpAbout 35 seconds after launch, the Shuttle "stack" passes through a region of maximum dynamic pressure ("max-Q" in engineer-speak) as the vehicle goes transonic. As this region is encountered, the engines on the Shuttle are throttled down to minimize stresses on the airframe and the stack. The buffeting lasts about 12 seconds, and a short time after that, the Shuttle commander gets a "go for throttle-up," at which point the engines are ramped up to 104% of their rated power and the whole lashup goes screaming upward into orbit.
The picture on the left (apparently taken from a "chase" plane) shows the transonic shocks beginning to form on the stack, at around Mach 0.9. I think this is just an awesome shot.
Go the the dictionary, look up the word "fast." I think this photo would look good right there on the page, no?
Cheers...
The picture on the left (apparently taken from a "chase" plane) shows the transonic shocks beginning to form on the stack, at around Mach 0.9. I think this is just an awesome shot.Go the the dictionary, look up the word "fast." I think this photo would look good right there on the page, no?
Cheers...
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no subject
Date: 2001-05-11 12:04 pm (UTC)I think it looks like it was taken through one of their big tracking scopes.
no subject
Date: 2001-05-11 12:12 pm (UTC)I might go ask.
Cheers...
Re:
Date: 2001-05-11 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2001-05-11 12:25 pm (UTC)Cheers...
Re:
Date: 2001-05-11 12:27 pm (UTC)