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Post by banjomd on Mar 6, 2010 14:39:45 GMT -4
In reading one of Michael Collins' books, he talks about getting into a whifferdill and wasting a LOAD of fuel to rendezvous. Is it safe to say that whifferdills are of historical significance and do not occur anymore? If so, when did they stop being a threat to rendezvous?
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Post by PhantomWolf on Mar 6, 2010 18:05:32 GMT -4
So assuming he wasn't meaning that he was really a shape-changing alien from Xenon, I'm suspecting he mean a multi-axis movement that cost him fuel to get out of. If so, I'm suspect that they are not historical, and can still occur with the shuttle or more likely the Soyuz craft, and that they are still a threat to any rendezvous where there is a need to do a multi axis change, such as an orbital plan shift.
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Post by PhantomWolf on Mar 6, 2010 18:18:23 GMT -4
In fact, in a stunning coincidence check out the bottom quite in this post made just today.
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Post by banjomd on Mar 6, 2010 22:48:14 GMT -4
I saw that! from, "Carrying The Fire"; Michael Collins. p209-210 "good Lord, we are doing a whifferdill around the Agena, an out-of-plane whifferdill...John and I both know what has to be done now. We have sinned. We have somehow wandered off our prescribed path of righteousness, albeit only a tiny little meander, but now we must pay the penalty, and that means fuel...John has no choice but to hose out whatever fuel is necessary to cut short our helix-shaped circumnavigation of the Agena, driving us right up to it and stopping next to it." Gemini 10 had 36% fuel remaining instead of the 60% that it should have had. (BTW- Collins' books are an excellent read!)
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Post by banjomd on Mar 6, 2010 23:06:12 GMT -4
"Whifferdills are caused by allowing the target to move relative to the stars (failing to null the inertial line of sight rate, as the experts would describe it) and not making large enough corrections early enough to completely stop this unwanted motion.) "Carrying The Fire" Michael Collins P188
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Bob B.
Bob the Excel Guru?
Posts: 3,072
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Post by Bob B. on Mar 7, 2010 19:30:54 GMT -4
From How NASA Learned To Fly In Space by David Harland:
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Post by banjomd on Mar 7, 2010 19:59:08 GMT -4
Thanks, Bob B. Looks like I'll be ordering another book! ;D
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Bob B.
Bob the Excel Guru?
Posts: 3,072
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Post by Bob B. on Mar 7, 2010 21:05:05 GMT -4
Thanks, Bob B. Looks like I'll be ordering another book! ;D I enjoyed reading it. Of course, I’ve always had a particular fondness for the Gemini missions. Those flights are often overlooked and not given the recognition they deserve.
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Post by banjomd on Mar 8, 2010 0:20:22 GMT -4
Agreed. They were absolutely essential for Apollo to be successful.
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Post by echnaton on Mar 8, 2010 11:12:20 GMT -4
It's a great read. Detailed but not overly technical.
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Post by clipperride on Apr 3, 2010 14:46:29 GMT -4
"How NASA Learned To Fly In Space" by David Harland - looks like I will be adding another title to my wish list. I do enjoy David Harlands writing. Is there a "Book Review" thread on the forum? I've tried the search function, but there seems to be a problem with it at the moment, or a problem with my connection.
Regards
Mark
PS Search is working now and it seems that there isn't an Apollo Book Review thread. Wonder if it is worth having one as a sticky?
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Post by Ginnie on Apr 3, 2010 21:13:24 GMT -4
"How NASA Learned To Fly In Space" by David Harland - looks like I will be adding another title to my wish list. I do enjoy David Harlands writing. Is there a "Book Review" thread on the forum? I've tried the search function, but there seems to be a problem with it at the moment, or a problem with my connection. Regards Mark PS Search is working now and it seems that there isn't an Apollo Book Review thread. Wonder if it is worth having one as a sticky? The proboards search engine sucks anyway.... We should get Kiwi to put together some sort of database!
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