Private Team to Restart Engines on 36-Year-Old NASA Spacecraft
erco
Posts: 20,256
If these guys actually regain full control this old spacecraft, I'll commit to starting up my Corvair this summer and taking her out for her first drive since 2001, when she was garaged: http://news.yahoo.com/private-team-restart-engines-36-old-nasa-spacecraft-164858646.html
NASA ceased communications with ISEE-3 in 1997. My Monza was last registered in 1995. An excellent matchup.
Publison, keep me honest! If they do it, I shall require periodic calling out throughout the summer to hold up my end of the bargain. Yes, forum taunting is the only thing that will motivate me, and I think you are just the man to hold me accountable.
Of course, if the team fails, my trusty steed can fade back to "garage queen" status for another few years.
NASA ceased communications with ISEE-3 in 1997. My Monza was last registered in 1995. An excellent matchup.
Publison, keep me honest! If they do it, I shall require periodic calling out throughout the summer to hold up my end of the bargain. Yes, forum taunting is the only thing that will motivate me, and I think you are just the man to hold me accountable.
Of course, if the team fails, my trusty steed can fade back to "garage queen" status for another few years.
Comments
Duly noted sir.
Precisely why I chose him to call me on the carpet.
Some times I read my PM's too. And forums you guys don't get to see, (Parallax Secret Society).
It is a testament to those engineers that designed and built this spacecraft....very impressive.
Some people use kerocene, some use transmission oil for this. I don't think a spray can of WD-40 is enough lubrication. Because of the extra oil, the engine will smoke when first started.
Change the oil and the filter right away. Do it again after about 500 miles.
And it might be wise to put the engine in neutral with the plugs out and turn it over by hand a few times just to be sure that nothing is ceased.
Other issues are the dead battery needs recharge or replacement.
And in some cases, the carburator might need to be taken apart and rebuilt. A new air filter will simplfy things as well.
If there is a fuel filter it gets changed too.
Of course, that gets the engine going. But it doesn't mean the brakes are in good shape. Brake cylinders can rust in place in storage. So it would be wise to pull all the wheels and look at the condition of the brakes.
If it won't start, it is time for new plugs, points, and distributor parts.
I'd say to check the radiator for coolant, but the Corvair doesn't have one, does it?
It must have been 25 years ago when I was wandering through K-Mart's automotive section and found a clearance bin full of Delco-Remy tuneup kits for a dollar each. Points, rotor, & condenser. I bought a dozen, and they're still in my garage. Somewhere.
Ain't she beautiful?
That's when engines were engines and once we got past that era, I lost interest in cars other than a way to get from point A to point B.
Sooo, back to the satellite reboot. I wonder what kind of sweet circa 1974-1975 technology they are talking to out there?? I read the last transmission bit rate NASA had with it was 64 bits/sec. I guess you need to plan your message carefully!
A few people can text even faster than that.
I thought I'd start the taunting a bit early! :-)
I have a 1972 Bultaco Sherpa T Trials bike in pieces in my Dad's shop - Maybe I'll jump in too! Here is an old photo of me riding the original...
Well, at one time in my life I was very fond of 1951-53 Chevy and GMC pickup trucks. It was very easy to buy one in Oregon for less than $300USD that had been sitting in a shed for decades. In some cases the engine was no good and I'd have to pull another one from something that hadn't run for ages either. Sadly, I never found the one that was a keeper. It rains a lot in Oregon and they all suffered quite a bit of rust. I think I actually have owned more than 10 of them, including a 2 ton flat bed version of the same. The last one, I completely disassembly and sold off most of it for parts. I kept the frame, the front axle, and the pickup bed and made a trailer out it.
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Sorry but I have no experience with restarting 36 year old spaceships. But I do have some experience with what it takes to start a nuclear reactor.
Actually I am very fond of cars before 1965.. when they started adding the fancy stuff to control air polution. I suppose that is why I prefer micro-controllers over micro-computers -- small and accessible to a lone tinkerer.
Also I had some old English motorcycles... a 1953 Trumph 350 (very rare) and a 441 BSR. All fun greasy junk that require nearly complete rebuilds.
Friar Whit... must commit! Everything's better when we have a support group.
http://www.dailyturismo.com/2014/06/10k-unsafe-in-hyperspace-1964-chevrolet.html