The Redstone Missourri Compromise
Before you read this entry, you may want to read yesterday’s for context.
I’d like to say I had a great day at work today. I’d like to say no rocket intestine splattered the launch pad. Astronaut’s were spared disintegration. Project money didn’t dance about and transfigure from black to red. You know, like it never does in government programs. (What am I saying, is that possible?) I’d like to say I didn’t want to strap a certain Texan, a couple red stone throwing Missourians, and a few Upper-Middle managers in the Redstone organization to their rocket’s fuselage as it morphed into a roman candle.
Actually, I can say that.
We took a day off from ignition tests today to brainstorm, why the Redstones keep blowing up. I have my own theory, revolving around how we shouldn’t even be doing this project at all. But, as I told you yesterday, I lost that discussion 18 months back.
So, we looked over a document one of the “idea people” who came up with this spent cigarette butt of a program had sent for consideration. Her little flakes of tobacco ash suggestions stated: “The basic problem with launch testing was that we (the California testers and launchers) were being a bit too thorough and conservative.” Rather than test all systems we should consider a series of alternatives and compromises they had thought up in Missouri. . She ranked them in order of her preference. Most of her alternatives as I stated yesterday were some form of stop trying to get one rocket to light up and do them all. Never mind they all blow up. That probably won’t happen in flight. We had a conference call to look at her alternatives.
But before I discuss the conference call, I should give you some more background on the MOLP Redstone project. Basic physics mostly. The Redstone rocket achieves 78,000 lbs or thrust at full throttle. That means, it can lift and object weighing 78,000 lbs and accelerate it. Given enough time and fuel, it can lift a 78,000 lb object a long way. Like 20,000 miles into orbit. I won’t bore you will orbital mechanics math. But those little space station chunks my groups been sending up from coastal California weigh around 230,000 lbs. –And they keep getting heavier. No single Redstone is going to lift them. Eighteen months ago when I was given this assignment, I pointed that out. My upper middles response: “Oh, stop bragging about your volumes and make it work. You’re a pretty out of the box thinker, if anyone can make it work your team can.”
Well, we did some analysis (3rd grade math) and came up with the idea of linking about six Redstones together at once. It was as ugly as a cross between an alligator and an armadillo but in theory it could work. I got an e-mail back the next day from Texas, “Glad to see you are supporting us. Lightspeed to Mars.”
Problem was the Redstones needed a new guidance system that could control six rockets at once. I suggested we use a system we’d been using out here for our big volumes. It got the following comment from Texas. “We’ve never seen anything like that in the Redstone states. You Berkeley scientists are kind of weird.” But in reality, my whole presentation of the alternative of how Redstones could be adapted for use in the California was summed up by this answer from one of Missourians: “We’ve never tried to lift a volume like this. Maybe you should think smaller. We do.”
We’ve had a lot of just non-reality based conversations whose content gets reinvented in meeting notes since. I’ve stopped the Upper-middles and the politicians several times, and asked them if they really are committed to this project. I mean we went from an early $1 million cost estimate to $1 Billion, and the Reddy’s are still not moving anything. I mean, if this was my money, I wouldn’t be doing it. Plus if these Reddy’s fail to deliver the thrust we need, go off course, or just blow up a payload or eulogize a few astronauts, who is going to be held accountable? Not the people from the Redstone states. They blame everything on California.
So with those thoughts in mind, I had to consider the following a bunch of alternatives to my apparently faulty launch preparation plan. To their credit I will give the Reddy’s one concession. I do accept that I have to eventually fire up the engines on all six of these Redstones they welded together all at once. That is the final flight configuration. When I launch a payload, that’s what I have to do. That is the end goal. However, right now I’m just trying to get one Redstone to work. –And we know how well that’s going. So we had a conference call today that went something like this:
Me: “I looked at all your alternatives, about running multiple tests at one time. They seem to miss the point that we haven’t been able to get a single rocket to ignite and not blow up on the launch pad.”
Miss Missouri Compromise: “Right, that’s why we think you should fire off a configuration of all six rockets at once. Skip all those fuel pressure checks and stuff too. They slow things down.”
Me: “Okay, I can see some merit to that approach after we get the engines to ignite and not blow the vehicle up. Stopping the explosions, that probably needs to be MOLP’s focus right now. The Missouri team should figure out how do deliver vehicles to us without catastrophic defects.”
Miss Missouri Compromise: “Well, we don’t see it that way. We are way behind schedule. Mostly because of your excessive testing procedures.. Cleaning up vehicles with incomplete positive results is your area of responsibility. We agreed you’d be further in the launch test than this at this point. Furthermore we don’t have resources to figure out where pre-flight aberrations may occur. You need to run more tests and report the results back to us.”
Me: "Exactly how do I do that when, your missles keep blowing up? It takes me three to four days to clean up the launch pad each time."
Miss Missouri Compromise: "Well, that problem will sort itself out in time, we want a plan for after the missles stop blowing up."
Me: "I'll consider a plan for speeding up testing when your rockets stop blowing up!"
Miss Missouri Compromise: "Stan, we don't hear you using committment language. I think you need to be more out of the box in your thinking."
I could continue this, but it came down to me yelling in the phone about basic math and logical thinking. It’s the first time I’ve lost my cool at work in fifteen years.
Fortunately, I had an excuse to leave early. The university I graduated from was holding the annual President’s Circle dinner that night. Thirty minutes after the call I was up in the hills over looking the bay getting smashed on wine, rather than smashing heads of anyone that looked like they were from a Redstone state.
That dinner was kind of weird too. But I’ll talk about that tomorrow.
I’d like to say I had a great day at work today. I’d like to say no rocket intestine splattered the launch pad. Astronaut’s were spared disintegration. Project money didn’t dance about and transfigure from black to red. You know, like it never does in government programs. (What am I saying, is that possible?) I’d like to say I didn’t want to strap a certain Texan, a couple red stone throwing Missourians, and a few Upper-Middle managers in the Redstone organization to their rocket’s fuselage as it morphed into a roman candle.
Actually, I can say that.
We took a day off from ignition tests today to brainstorm, why the Redstones keep blowing up. I have my own theory, revolving around how we shouldn’t even be doing this project at all. But, as I told you yesterday, I lost that discussion 18 months back.
So, we looked over a document one of the “idea people” who came up with this spent cigarette butt of a program had sent for consideration. Her little flakes of tobacco ash suggestions stated: “The basic problem with launch testing was that we (the California testers and launchers) were being a bit too thorough and conservative.” Rather than test all systems we should consider a series of alternatives and compromises they had thought up in Missouri. . She ranked them in order of her preference. Most of her alternatives as I stated yesterday were some form of stop trying to get one rocket to light up and do them all. Never mind they all blow up. That probably won’t happen in flight. We had a conference call to look at her alternatives.
But before I discuss the conference call, I should give you some more background on the MOLP Redstone project. Basic physics mostly. The Redstone rocket achieves 78,000 lbs or thrust at full throttle. That means, it can lift and object weighing 78,000 lbs and accelerate it. Given enough time and fuel, it can lift a 78,000 lb object a long way. Like 20,000 miles into orbit. I won’t bore you will orbital mechanics math. But those little space station chunks my groups been sending up from coastal California weigh around 230,000 lbs. –And they keep getting heavier. No single Redstone is going to lift them. Eighteen months ago when I was given this assignment, I pointed that out. My upper middles response: “Oh, stop bragging about your volumes and make it work. You’re a pretty out of the box thinker, if anyone can make it work your team can.”
Well, we did some analysis (3rd grade math) and came up with the idea of linking about six Redstones together at once. It was as ugly as a cross between an alligator and an armadillo but in theory it could work. I got an e-mail back the next day from Texas, “Glad to see you are supporting us. Lightspeed to Mars.”
Problem was the Redstones needed a new guidance system that could control six rockets at once. I suggested we use a system we’d been using out here for our big volumes. It got the following comment from Texas. “We’ve never seen anything like that in the Redstone states. You Berkeley scientists are kind of weird.” But in reality, my whole presentation of the alternative of how Redstones could be adapted for use in the California was summed up by this answer from one of Missourians: “We’ve never tried to lift a volume like this. Maybe you should think smaller. We do.”
We’ve had a lot of just non-reality based conversations whose content gets reinvented in meeting notes since. I’ve stopped the Upper-middles and the politicians several times, and asked them if they really are committed to this project. I mean we went from an early $1 million cost estimate to $1 Billion, and the Reddy’s are still not moving anything. I mean, if this was my money, I wouldn’t be doing it. Plus if these Reddy’s fail to deliver the thrust we need, go off course, or just blow up a payload or eulogize a few astronauts, who is going to be held accountable? Not the people from the Redstone states. They blame everything on California.
So with those thoughts in mind, I had to consider the following a bunch of alternatives to my apparently faulty launch preparation plan. To their credit I will give the Reddy’s one concession. I do accept that I have to eventually fire up the engines on all six of these Redstones they welded together all at once. That is the final flight configuration. When I launch a payload, that’s what I have to do. That is the end goal. However, right now I’m just trying to get one Redstone to work. –And we know how well that’s going. So we had a conference call today that went something like this:
Me: “I looked at all your alternatives, about running multiple tests at one time. They seem to miss the point that we haven’t been able to get a single rocket to ignite and not blow up on the launch pad.”
Miss Missouri Compromise: “Right, that’s why we think you should fire off a configuration of all six rockets at once. Skip all those fuel pressure checks and stuff too. They slow things down.”
Me: “Okay, I can see some merit to that approach after we get the engines to ignite and not blow the vehicle up. Stopping the explosions, that probably needs to be MOLP’s focus right now. The Missouri team should figure out how do deliver vehicles to us without catastrophic defects.”
Miss Missouri Compromise: “Well, we don’t see it that way. We are way behind schedule. Mostly because of your excessive testing procedures.. Cleaning up vehicles with incomplete positive results is your area of responsibility. We agreed you’d be further in the launch test than this at this point. Furthermore we don’t have resources to figure out where pre-flight aberrations may occur. You need to run more tests and report the results back to us.”
Me: "Exactly how do I do that when, your missles keep blowing up? It takes me three to four days to clean up the launch pad each time."
Miss Missouri Compromise: "Well, that problem will sort itself out in time, we want a plan for after the missles stop blowing up."
Me: "I'll consider a plan for speeding up testing when your rockets stop blowing up!"
Miss Missouri Compromise: "Stan, we don't hear you using committment language. I think you need to be more out of the box in your thinking."
I could continue this, but it came down to me yelling in the phone about basic math and logical thinking. It’s the first time I’ve lost my cool at work in fifteen years.
Fortunately, I had an excuse to leave early. The university I graduated from was holding the annual President’s Circle dinner that night. Thirty minutes after the call I was up in the hills over looking the bay getting smashed on wine, rather than smashing heads of anyone that looked like they were from a Redstone state.
That dinner was kind of weird too. But I’ll talk about that tomorrow.
posted by Stan at 11:11 PM
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