# NASA to have first splashdown with crew since 1975 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2020, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608 "2020-07-17T20:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/81 "2020-08-02T20:21:04Z")
Great to have the crew back, but my goodness the TV coverage sucked. Odd, considering they’ve had months to get ready for this. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/82 "2020-08-02T20:28:16Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > my goodness the TV coverage sucked. I remember the network coverage of the Apollo missions being better. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/83 "2020-08-02T22:15:20Z")
I watched the post-flight conference. Nothing too exciting, but they did mention the NTO/MMH stuff. They weren’t very concerned about it; they’ll investigate but most likely they’ll just start the systems purge right away for future missions. They also cited the calm wind conditions and expect lower levels when there’s a bit of wind present. The civilian boats were mentioned but they didn’t offer any solutions yet. Seems to me that SpaceX should upgrade their fleet with some Torturer- or Psychopath-class vessels. Suggested names: _Gunboat Diplomat_ _Kiss My Ass_ _Attitude Adjuster_ _Now We Try It My Way_ ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/84 "2020-08-02T22:36:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I remember the network coverage of the Apollo missions being better. The US broadcasters spent $13m for the Apollo 11 mission and up to $5m for each of the other Apollo missions. That 1960’s money. They hired the special effects team that worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey and built full scale replicas of the various Apollo modules plus a moon landscape set. Of course it was better! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/85 "2020-08-02T23:39:22Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The civilian boats were mentioned but they didn’t offer any solutions yet. Seems to me that SpaceX should upgrade their fleet with some Torturer- or Psychopath-class vessels. Indefatigable. Conqueror. Joyful Surprise. San Pablo. Enterprise. Shangrila. Conan. Robert E. Howard. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/86 "2020-08-02T23:43:55Z")
Who would you want on your side in a bar fight, Dr. Berry or Pete Conrad? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/87 "2020-08-03T00:34:49Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I watched the post-flight conference. Nothing too exciting, but they did mention the NTO/MMH stuff. They weren’t very concerned about it; they’ll investigate but most likely they’ll just start the systems purge right away for future missions. They also cited the calm wind conditions and expect lower levels when there’s a bit of wind present. yeah, it never sounded like anything as serious as a leak. on a demo mission you want to work with an abundance of caution. probably they’ll modify some procedures and maybe make a few tweaks to Dragon, but overall (unless they find something later) this looks like a pretty solid success all around. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/88 "2020-08-03T01:03:05Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > During which it was discovered that _both_ Stafford and Slayton had pre-existing conditions which should have disqualified them from spaceflight. You know all those endless tests they gave the Mercury astronaut candidates? The ones that were supposed to pick the best of the best? Well, they got a guy who had an irregular heartbeat and never flew (until the last Apollo, and as noted, he shouldn’t have flown then, either) They got a guy who was emotionally unfit to fly, and wouldn’t follow orders Another believed in UFOs One guy developed Meniere’s disease, and shouldn’t have flown after his first flight One guy later staged a mutiny and got his two fellow astronauts grounded for life. But hey, he had another job lined up, what did he care? So either that means the testing they used was completely useless for detecting things they didn’t want in an astronaut, or those failings just aren’t that big a deal. (Though I would still say Carpenter should never have been picked) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/89 "2020-08-03T01:03:11Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The civilian boats were mentioned but they didn’t offer any solutions yet. Seems to me that SpaceX should upgrade their fleet with some Torturer- or Psychopath-class vessels. Suggested names: > _Gunboat Diplomat_ > _Kiss My Ass_ > _Attitude Adjuster_ > _Now We Try It My Way_ _No More Mr Nice Guy_ _Lapsed Pacifist_ _Only Slightly Bent_ BTW, you suggested two of my favorites: _Gunboat Diplomat_ and _Attitude Adjuster_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/90 "2020-08-03T01:16:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > They are used in some ICBMs, like the Titan II, SS-18 and the Sarmat. And the Proton (a satellite launcher, not an ICBM. I would not want to be downwind of this incident: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ycRVAcZC5R4/maxresdefault.jpg "More Videos Of The Russian Proton M Launch Failure And Explosion With Three GLONASS Satellites") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRVAcZC5R4) Yellow smoke: don’t breathe that. Not much excuse these days for using hypergols in an ordinary launcher. Or ICBMs, for that matter (solids for those). But they remain the best solution for maneuvering thrusters. SpaceX’s Starship plans on using gaseous methane/oxygen for its thrusters and a spark igniter system. Hopefully that works out for them. Storability is less of an issue there because they already have cryogens onboard; it’s not an extra effort to use the gases directly. But the thrusters are more complicated due to the igniters. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/91 "2020-08-03T01:29:02Z")
everyone’s saying spacex’s show on you tube was better than the tvs … i remember when columbia started it would be a day long affair on tv and right before challenger last mission it was all so routine you’d be lucky to see 10 minutes of it on the news … that’s why they ran the 8s equivalent of “who wants to be an astronaut” to drum up publicity … ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/92 "2020-08-03T01:42:27Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > i remember when columbia started it would be a day long affair on tv and right before challenger last mission it was all so routine you’d be lucky to see 10 minutes of it on the news … that’s why they ran the 8s equivalent of “who wants to be an astronaut” to drum up publicity … hell, that was a plot point in _Apollo 13_ that the moon landings were already so “routine” that no one was really paying attention until the “problem.” Kudos to SpaceX for making space interesting again. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/93 "2020-08-03T01:57:08Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > everyone’s saying spacex’s show on you tube was better than the tvs … I only ever watch the SpaceX streams. They have more detail and less nonsense than anything on TV. More genuine, too. Kate Tice–one of the presenters, and the lead program reliability engineer–got choked up at the end of the broadcast. Easy to see that they all genuinely care about the mission and the safety of Bob and Doug. Got me a bit misty-eyed, too. And while I may give Boeing some crap, I am looking forward to a successful mission from them, too. The whole point of the effort is to give America redundant access to space, and the more providers we have the better off we’ll be. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/94 "2020-08-03T02:10:02Z")
I’m not quite sure where this came from as I can’t find a press release on their site, but supposedly this is the Coast Guard’s official statement: [![](https://i.ibb.co/hWcdfVq/Eed-Kk-Bx-XYAET0w-P.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/hWcdfVq/Eed-Kk-Bx-XYAET0w-P.jpg) So, no legal authority to establish an exclusion zone. Florida Man strikes again. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/95 "2020-08-03T02:15:39Z")
Say what you will, but that’s an advantage a Navy task force has in establishing an exclusion: nothing says “stay out” like multiple heavily armed warships. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/96 "2020-08-03T06:17:19Z")
That sounds like a bit much; we just want to give the boaters a little scare. I advocate a few Phalanx CIWS systems, outfitted with 20 mm “less lethal” rubber bullets. That should send a clear enough message, I think. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/97 "2020-08-03T08:21:42Z")
Most of the Apollo splashdowns were in the middle of the Pacific, so its not like it was a simple exercise to get them This splashdown was fairly near the coast as far as I could tell. John Glenn was picked up by a destroyer and so was Gemini 8 when it had an emergency reentry. So an aircraft carrier might not be needed, just a ship with signifcant aviation fascilities, like an LPD or LPH. I hear the _Bon Homme Richard_ is in a bad way, maybe Musk can take it off the Navy’s hands? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/98 "2020-08-03T08:27:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I remember the network coverage of the Apollo missions being better. Apollo was fucking perfection, so everything better. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/99 "2020-08-03T08:38:41Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So an aircraft carrier might not be needed, just a ship with signifcant aviation fascilities, like an LPD or LPH. The GO Navigator is already perfect for their needs. It has enough room in the rear for the A-frame that lifts the capsule, plenty of space for capsule decontamination and such, room for a med center, and a helipad. There’s no need for anything more than that. Beef up the Coast Guard resources for next time, give them a bit more authority in their response, and we probably won’t have a repeat of _Idiots in Boats Gone Wild, SpaceX Edition_. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608/100 "2020-08-03T09:32:59Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > And while I may give Boeing some crap, I am looking forward to a successful mission from them, too. The whole point of the effort is to give America redundant access to space, and the more providers we have the better off we’ll be. Won’t be surprised if Starliner, Artemis and Orion all get the axe with the Economy numbers coming it. If history is any guide, Constellation did not survive the 2008 crises, Space Station Freedom did not get past the 80’s recession, Apollo Applications and Apollo itself did not survive the the late 60s early 70’s downturn. And this is the greatest economic downturn in the Space Age era Dragon and Falcon9 are well established, hell I think a modified Dragon might even be able to do lunar missions. Makes sense for NASA to concentrate on this. Won’t have to do much, except move mission control from LA to Houston. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-to-have-first-splashdown-with-crew-since-1975/915608.md?page=6)