Mike Feher
@saxmike71
Software engineer at NASA | saxophone + electric guitar | unapologetic flirt | progressive/liberal/Democrat/atheist | My tongue is always in cheek. | All posts/views mine, but you can share. You may know me from other places, but if not, you should. 😊
“Hey, this is where I love to watch launches from!” Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander
I’d just like to point out that they could take THREE TIMES THE LOAD of a 747 tire at landing (like your mom!):
Real flown tires used on mission STS-135. These tires were not filled with air, but rather, gaseous nitrogen (GN2):
Two views of the “beanie cap” or “coolie hat” that used to sit atop the External Tank (ET) to catch boiloff venting from the cryogenic propellants stored in the ET during fueling and countdown:
Perhaps you’ve heard something about how heat-protective tiles on the orbiter were cut precisely to fit, hand-laid, and numbered. Well, here’s what that looks like up close:
Where did I go for dinner? It’s of no consequence, but I snapped some gems while I was there: