266 lines
10 KiB
Groff
266 lines
10 KiB
Groff
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Docking: 210 Nautical Mile in Space.
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------------------------------------
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Objective: You are attempting to dock with a satellite that is
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traveling at Mach 23.9, several hundred nautical miles above the
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Earth. You will have to slow down or speed up to reduce distance (X
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axis) to 0. Also you will have to be at the same altitude (Z axis)
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and position (Y axis). All of these movements are interrelated -
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changing one can affect the others. And in flight mode #3, time is
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important because the longer you take, the more fuel you consume. To
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save fuel, tap the joystick instead of holding it in a control
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position.
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Docking Checklist.
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------------------
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Maneuvering in Space: There are 2 different ways to maneuver the
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shuttle in orbit. For major maneuvers (30 nautical miles or more),
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the Orbit Maneuvering System (OMS) can be used. This system takes
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some study and experience to use effectively. So when first starting
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out, use the Reaction Control System (RCS). Its clusters of rocket
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engines in the shuttle's nose and tail can move the shuttle about its
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three major axes (X, Y, Z).
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- To use the OMS, press "R" to activate ROT (rotational engine).
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Lean joystick left or right to affect Yaw, forward or back to
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affect Pitch. Press fire button to fire engine.
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- To use RCS, press "T" to activate TRH (transitional engine).
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Lean joystick left or right to affect Y axis, forward or back
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to affect speed (and X axis), forward or back while pressing
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fire button to affect altitude (Z axis).
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Shuttle Speed and Position: Speed is just as important as position.
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Never allow your speed to drop below Mach 170 or your altitude to
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fall below 195 nautical miles, or you'll burn up in the atmosphere!
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Your X axis relationship to the satellite depends on your speed,
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which is affected by your engine. To overtake the satellite when it
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is ahead of you (when the X axis value is positive), your speed must
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be greater than 23.9. As you make your final approach t the
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satellite, keep speed close to Mach 23.9
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Drifting: As you near the satellite, continually recheck all axes.
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The satellite's movement is erractic, settings will shift. When RCS
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is active (TRN is on), press "X", "Y", or "Z" to display current
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status of those axes. Press the SPACEBAR at any time to check
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position, remaining fuel, mission elapsed time, and pitch and yaw.
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"S" Curve: On the Ground Track Screen, the "S" line indicates both
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the satellite's and the shuttle's ground track around the Earth. The
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shuttle's position is the solid dot, the flashing dot is the target
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satellite. Notice as you track the satellite, that your X axis
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(distance between shuttle and satellite) will suddenly change
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significantly as the satellite wraps around the tracking line. This
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is because the orbital tracking line wraps around the display as a
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real orbit would wrap around the earth.
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Docking Screen: Use the "S" curve screen until you get fairly close
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to the satellite. Then 2 smaller radar screens will appear. The left
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screen shows your Z axis (up-down), and a wide view of your Y axis
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(left-right). The right screen, which you'll use more, shows the X
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axis and micro (close in) Y axis.
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Satellite Sighting: When you see the satellite, prepare to conduct
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close range maneuvers with the RCS (TRN engine on).
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Multiple Docking: Every time you dock (in flight #3), you receive a
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"Rendezvous" signal and some additional fuel units. Each additional
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docking becomes more difficult, so the amount of fuel you get
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increases. After each rendezvous, the satellite moves away from the
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shuttle. Wait until it is at least 80 units (X axis) away before
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attempting to dock again, or the satellite will interfere with the
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shuttle's signals.
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Docking Sequence: Match the position of the shuttle with that of the
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satellite by correcting Z, Y and X axes, preferably in that order.
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1) Press "T" to activate RCS Transitional.
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2) Correct Z axis to 0. Press button and move joystick forward or
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back. A negative number means the satellite is below you. A positive
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number means the satellite is above you. A zero reading means you
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altitude is the same as the satellites's.
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3) Correct Y axis to 0. Move joystick to the right or left. A
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positive number means the satellite is right of you. A negative
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number means the satellite is to the left of you.
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4) Correct X axis. Move the joystick forward or back. A positive
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number shows the distance, in units, that the satellite is ahead of
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you. A negative number shows units the satellite is behind you. To
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increase shuttle speed, move joystick. Likewise, move joystick back
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to decrease speed. The satellite's speed is Mach 23.9.
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5) When you meet the satellite, all axes must be adjusted to 0 and
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stabilized for 2 seconds. Then you will receive a "Rendezvous"
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signal, indicating that you've docked.
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Deorbit Burn.
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-------------
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Objective: To turn shuttle around, fire engines and decelerate to the
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correct speed for leaving orbit. This is one of the most critical
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phases of you flight.
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During deorbit operations, the shuttle is oriented to a tail-first
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altitude, decelerating to reentry speed by the powerful OMS engine,
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then turned around to a nose-first altitude.
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You begin to lose altitude when you've slowed the shuttle down below
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the speed needed to sustain orbit at 210 nautical miles.
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Deorbit Burn Maneuver: First you must turn the shuttle around so this
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it is traveling tailfirst. Then in order to maintain the correct
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altitude, set your Z axis and pitch. Once this maneuver is completed,
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fire the engine to decelerate. If the Z axis and pitch are not set
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correctly, firing the engine will make you shuttle climb or dive.
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After the deorbit burn, the shuttle must then be reoriented
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nose-first to the correct altitude. Entering the atmosphere backwards
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will cause the shuttle to burn up!
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Yaw: Left-right rotation of the nose of the shuttle.
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Sequence for Deorbit Burn:
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1) Adjust Z axis until altitude reads 210.
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2) Pull joystick back or push forward to set speed to Mach 23.9.
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3) Press "R" to activate OMS (rotational).
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4) Turn shuttle around completely. Move joystick left or right to set
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Yaw at 180.
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5) Set pitch at -004.
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6) Press joystick button until speed is Mach 19.0.
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7) Turn shuttle around nose-first be setting Yaw to 0.
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Reentry.
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--------
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Objective: To establish and maintain the correct pitch, yaw and
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speed, follow the correct trajectory, and properly manage heat
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build-up during reentry. There are 3 important stages to reentry:
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Entry interface, TAEM and LOS. Position, altitude, velocity, and
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heading must all be exact to both to manage the tremendous
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heat buildup and correctly position your shuttle for the final
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approach.
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Entry Interface: This is the point in your flight where atmospheric
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entry officially begins. As the shuttle descends, atmospheric drag
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dissipates tremendous energy, generating a great deal of heat. This
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heat quickly builds up. Pitch and speed must be correct to
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utilize the shuttle's thermal protection system.
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Terminal Area Energy Management: After entry interface, you must
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closely follow the proper descent trajectory in order to maintain
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enough altitude and speed to reach the final touchdown point. This
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process of conserving your energy by maintaining the correct
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position, altitude, velocity and heading is called Terminal Area
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Energy Management (TAEM).
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Loss of Signal: During reentry, the shuttle superheats the gas of the
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upper atmosphere creating flashes of color outside your window. Heat
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strips electrons from the air around the shuttle., enveloping it in a
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sheath of ionized air that blocks all communications with the ground.
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So at 140 miles, you will experience a temporary partial loss of
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signal (LOS). Keep a close eye on your radar at this point. You will
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receive intermittent signals which you need to use to correct your
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course and plane.
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Descent Screens: On your reentry screen, "X" indicates cut-off of
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your OMS engines (deorbit burn). "T" indicates the terminal area
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energy management phase. "L" indicates your transition to final
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landing approach. The small box at left is your plane indicator.
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Reentry Sequence:
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1) Pull back joystick to set +24 pitch for proper reentry altitude.
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2) Close cargo bay doors.
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3) Follow reentry course on computer screen. Pull stick back to go
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right. Push forward to go left. Left and right on the stick centers
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plane.
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Landing: Edwards Air Force Base.
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--------------------------------
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Landing Sequence:
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1) Watch for the runway. Use the right radar screen to maintain
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alignment.
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2) Follow final approach course on both computer screens. Left
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screen: keep dot centered between the two arched lines. Right screen:
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keep dot centered on straight runway approach line. Pull Joystick
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back to raise nose (slow decent). Push joystick left or right to keep
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dot centered.
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3) When range become negative, you're over the runway, just seconds
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from touchdown, so drop landing gear now.
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4) Push joystick forward to lower nose.
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5) When the shuttle hits the runway, your nose will prop up, so keep
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your joystick pushed forward to keep nose down until you hear the
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thud of the front landing gear.
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Stat Messages.
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--------------
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Message Message or
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Number Action Needed
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-----------------------------------------------------
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100 Not lined up with runway on touchdown.
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150 Touchdown too early (hit desert).
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200 Touchdown too late (over-shot runway).
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300 Nose gear not down at end of runway.
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350 Off course at start of banking turn.
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400 Landing gear not down at touchdown.
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500 Cargo bay doors not closed at ascent or reentry.
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550 Pitch is greater that +24 on reetry (skip into space).
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600 Pitch less than +24 on reentry (burn up).
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650 Yaw not 0 at reentry.
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700 Altitude too low to sustain orbit (below 195).
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750 Altitude too high (255 miles max).
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800 Speed too low to sustain orbit (below mach 17.0).
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850 Cargo bay doors not open during orbit (overheat).
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900 Orbit insertion angle incorrect at MECO.
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950 Speed/altitude too low to attain orbit at MECO.
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990 Out of fuel.
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1-99 Number of dockings. Also many appear as the last digit of a
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mission abort stat.
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Acronym List.
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-------------
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AX Axis
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ALT Altitude
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FLT Flight
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MET Mission Elapsed Time
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MECO Main Engine Cut Off
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OMS Orbital Maneuvering System
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RCS Reaction Control System
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RNG Range
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SRB Solid Rocket Booster
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SP/M Speed in Mach
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SSME Space Shuttle Main Engine
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STS Space Transportation System
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TAEM Terminal Area Energy Management
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DAP Digital Auto Pilot
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-the Disk Jockey-
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