|
A launch pad is the area and facilities where rockets or spacecrafts liftoff. A Spaceport (or rocket launch site) can contain one or many launch pads. A typical launch pad consists of the service and umbilical structures. The service structure provides an access platform to inspect the launch vehicle prior to launch. Most service structures can be moved or rotated to a safe distance. The umbilical structure has propellent loading, gas, power, and communication links to the launch vehicle. The launch vehicle sits atop of the launch platform, which has the flame deflection structure to withstand the intense heat and load generated by rocket engines during liftoff. Most cryogenic launch vehicles need to be continuously topped off as scheduled liftoff approaches. This is particularly necessary as various holds are placed on the liftoff and then removed as support personnel correct problems or verify they are not serious. Without the ability to top off the launch vehicle, the launch would have to be scrubbed when problems slowed down the countdown. Gantries are commonly designed and constructed on launch pads to meet these types of servicing requirements both during launch and in the preparation period leading up to it. Most rockets need stable support for a few seconds after ignition while the engines ramp up and stabilize at full thrust. This stability requirement is commonly met by the use of explosive bolts to connect the launch vehicle to the pad. When the vehicle is stable and ready to fly the bolts explode, severing the vehicle's ties to the launch pad and structures on the ground. From Wikipedia under the
GNU Free Documentation License From Yahoo Image Search: "launch pad"  blog.launchpad.net Matthew Revell Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:55:18 GM Launchpad. gives you a shortcut that lets you quickly see the history of the bug: the bug activity log. Let's take a look at a bug I've been working on recently: bug 544799. While the main bug page gives you the current description, ...  gigaom.com Mathew Ingram hu, 15 Apr 2010 20:42:19 GM Launchpad. LA has chosen 10 startups to participate in its second annual mentorship program, among them an online resource for genetic information, a cloud-based publishing network, a game design company, a Hispanic wedding service and a ...  khabar24.com Report24 hu, 27 May 2010 03:58:26 GM England v Bangladesh: Andrew Strauss calls for Lord's . launchpad. . Posted on May 27, 2010, 3:58 am, by Report24, under COUNTIES. Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flower revolution demands big performance against to follow T20 triumph. ... From Google Blog Search: "launch pad"  news.google.com Economist GIVEN all the hype ahead of the arrival of Apple's new tablet computer, the debut on April 3rd of the iPad in America was perhaps inevitably going to feel ... Apple: Over 3000 iPads sold on first day CNET NPR Launches Free App and Site for iPAD mediabistro.com (blog) Why I Bought An iPad This Weekend Flip the Media (blog) ElectricPig.co.uk - CNET all 5,848 news articles » news.google.com Duluth News Tribune The plume from the launch of the space shuttle Discovery lingers over the launch pad as Discovery (right) heads into orbit yesterday morning. ... and more » news.google.com Coos Bay World One in 1000 brainstormed ideas might make it to shelves, and one in three of those might succeed, said Launch Pad's Frank Kvietok, whose past includes ... and more » From Google News Search: "launch pad" How does NASA move the Ares 1-X from the crawler to the launch pad? Q. Are there any photos of this particular procedure? Just very curious, thanks! thanks for the awesome answers!!! Asked by luvlaketahoe - Sat Oct 24 12:57:49 2009 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments A. Both the launch pad and vehicle are actually carried by the crawler. The crawler is like a huge flat-bed truck which carries the entire launch pad + space vehicle combination to the launch tower. Here's the empty crawler: And here's the same crawler with the Shuttle launch pad module installed: Here's the crawler fully loaded: Here's the shuttle ready for launch with the crawler removed from the launch bay: And here's the Ares 1-X ready for launch (on the Shuttle's launch pad) with the crawler removed from the launch bay: Answered by Brian - Sat Oct 24 13:18:54 2009 After lift- off does the launch pad get destroyed? Q. I saw this picture and it made me thinking. After the rocket lifts off how much damage does the launch pad suffer. i can see alot of heat and smoke in the picture. Asked by Omar - Thu Mar 27 08:50:02 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments A. No it does not. Most of the "smoke" you see during a launch is, in fact, steam. Thousands of gallons of water are dumped on the pad at launch to help cool it and this gets boiled off as steam. If you look at a picture of either of the Shuttle pads (39-A and 39-B) you'll see a tower with a large water tank on top. That's the pad coolant water. Answered by Tony C - Fri Mar 28 09:26:25 2008 What happens to the launching pad during takeoff?
Q. Does anyone know what happens to a launch pad during a shuttle take off? You would think the flames would melt everything Asked by DAVID - Mon Aug 31 11:15:16 2009 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments A. The rocket exhaust is directed away from the pad via a tunnel or trench the pad is positioned over. Also water is dumped into the tunnel to cool the exhaust and more importantly, dampen the sound energy that would damage the rocket Answered by Mark G - Mon Aug 31 11:23:38 2009 From Yahoo Answer Search: "launch pad" |
