Scott Manley (@djsnm) 's Twitter Profile
Scott Manley

@djsnm

Internet Rocket Scientist, Gamer, Astronomer, Dad, Scotsman. Makes videos about science and video games.... at the same time! youtube.com/user/szyzyg

ID: 92356429

linkhttp://youtube.com/user/szyzyg calendar_today24-11-2009 20:23:59

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Eric Berger (@sciguyspace) 's Twitter Profile Photo

This evening, during tests of the Starliner crew module's 12 RCS thrusters (these are different from the thrusters on the service module), one of them failed. A single failure does not pose a threat during reentry.

Scott Manley (@djsnm) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Now, one thing to look for is that the vertical speed increases until it starts to get aerodynamic lift from the atmosphere, that'll be used to slow the descent. Then watch it roll to steer the lift vector, controls the entry and lets it arrive over the landing site.

Scott Manley (@djsnm) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Of course, now that it's clear the thrusters were fine and would get the spacecraft home safely, all those sensationalist new stories about 'Astronauts stranded in space' will become stories about 'NASA's Cowardice'

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You can see wiggles built into the trajectory so that they can tune the arrival to the target. Essentially the spacecraft always curves and it adjusts the direction of the curve by rolling to make sure it lands on target.

You can see wiggles built into the trajectory so that they can tune the arrival to the target. Essentially the spacecraft always curves and it adjusts the direction of the curve by rolling to make sure it lands on target.
Scott Manley (@djsnm) 's Twitter Profile Photo

"a minute and a half until we move into the blackout" Not that it matters because you're not showing any telemetry from the spacecraft.

Scott Manley (@djsnm) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Parachutes all deployed fine. I suspect the WG-57 altitude was chosen because it was close to drogue deployment altitude

Parachutes all deployed fine. I suspect the WG-57 altitude was chosen because it was close to drogue deployment altitude