Astounded by the sloppy work inside the Artemis space capsule

[Packard]

Is anyone else surprised by all the exposed and loose wiring in the Artemis spacecraft? And the appearance of f jumble of junk strewn around? And by the fact that they are supposed to figure out exactly where they are going to sleep in the capsule?

 

[mino]

You better not look up the ISS pictures ...

When something is not 100% known to not fail, you want the wiring accessible. This means any late-stage modifications are done externally.

Also, once you certify some system/box, you will not be adding stuff to it. It is safer/more reliable to just not touch the certified box and pull the wiring externally. This is normal. It is not a spaceship .. set .. but an actual spaceship.

Yes, you want as much as possible tucked away ... but that 'as much as possible' is never 100%, if it is, it means you left potential capability on the table. At least that is how I always understood how this went. Reparability>Reliability>>Convenience>>>Looks.

 

[Packard]

You better not look up the ISS pictures ...

When something is not 100% known to not fail, you want the wiring accessible. This means any late-stage modifications are done externally.

Also, once you certify some system/box, you will not be adding stuff to it. It is safer/more reliable to just not touch the certified box and pull the wiring externally. This is normal. It is not a spaceship .. set .. but an actual spaceship.

Yes, you want as much as possible tucked away ... but that 'as much as possible' is never 100%, if it is, it means you left potential capability on the table. At least that is how I always understood how this went. Reparability>Reliability>>Convenience>>>Looks.

I understand that. But Velcro ties would have keep the wiring from snagging on astronaut “drive-by” and avoid snagging the wiring.

So this (cropped from one of the above photos) meets NASA standards?

 

[onocoffee]

I'm just glad that Artemis didn't explode.

 

[rmhinden]

It does look odd, but without knowing what that wire is for (could be something temporary, like plugging into a USB port or what ever they use), it's hard to tell.

Further, given this is a zero gravity environment, what looks like a problem in a gravity environment might be fine in zero G.

BTW, I am not sure these pictures were taken from spare. Certainly not the first one where one person is wearing jeans. In the second picture, It looks like many of the straps are hanging down, so these pictures may be some sort of training exercise before launch.

Bob

 

[Cheese]

BTW, I am not sure these pictures were taken from spare. Certainly not the first one where one person is wearing jeans.

And 2 guys are peering in through the end window...

 

[Michael Kellough]

The top and bottom crew cabins are not even the same. Maybe the first is a prototype.
Read that since this is a shakedown cruise they deliberately left some panels off so the screw can practice repairs. Although removing panels should be part of the practice.

 

[Packard]

But the astronauts were interviewed from space, and said they were figuring out where they would be sleeping. Wouldn’t you expect that to be carefully choreographed before takeoff?

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Did you ever see a lunar lander? It's like an 80/20 frame with a heat resistant wrap.

 

[Packard]

Did you ever see a lunar lander? It's like an 80/20 frame with a heat resistant wrap.

No, I have not. Google time.

Apparently they did not have to improvise sleeping arrangements.


No stray wires




Everything looks pretty tidy. Built by Grumman.



This is more in line with what I expected. Maybe Grumman had some aircraft experience guide them.

 

[luvmytoolz]

That "Built by Grumman" pic in the middle is a 3D render.

 

[Packard]

That "Built by Grumman" pic in the middle is a 3D render.

It was listed as a preliminary model. But I will look for an actual image.

Listed as “Interior of Eagle lunar module”, Apollo 13. Some exposed wires, but tidy. I still say that Artemis 2’s interior is embarrassing compared to earlier NASA missions. I hope for the best.

I had the misfortune of watching (on TV) the launch of the Challenger in the mid-1980s. Since then I’ve made it a point not to watch live launches or splashdowns.

 

[Euclid]

I understand that. But Velcro ties would have keep the wiring from snagging on astronaut “drive-by” and avoid snagging the wiring.

I don’t think Velcro has the best of reputations, historically, within NASA… (re. Apollo 1), but presumably it - or some equivalent - can be made from non-flammable material these days. I assume that’s what we see left-of centre at the bottom of the second of Packard’s pics (opening post).

I, too, thought the interior looked a bit untidy, and might be fearful of snags on cabling. Having wiring accessible for maintenance/diagnosis/switch-out/whatever makes perfect sense but some of it looks a bit vulnerable.

As mino points out, the ISS (and perhaps more so Mir) look(ed) incredibly chaotic; but they are/were in a state of continual change and development. When there was the near-catastrophic fire on Mir, they seemed to have vital cabling running through hatchways between compartments which could not then be quickly closed and isolated.

 

[Packard]

Q

I don’t think Velcro has the best of reputations, historically, within NASA… (re. Apollo 1), but presumably it - or some equivalent - can be made from non-flammable material these days. I assume that’s what we see left-of centre at the bottom of the second of Packard’s pics (opening post).

I, too, thought the interior looked a bit untidy, and might be fearful of snags on cabling. Having wiring accessible for maintenance/diagnosis/switch-out/whatever makes perfect sense but some of it looks a bit vulnerable.

As mino points out, the ISS (and perhaps more so Mir) look(ed) incredibly chaotic; but they are/were in a state of continual change and development. When there was the near-catastrophic fire on Mir, they seemed to have vital cabling running through hatchways between compartments which could not then be quickly closed and isolated.

OK. But leaving the sleeping arrangements for the astronauts to figure ou once they were in space seems like a lack of preparedness.

I’m of the school of thinking, “If the visible workmanship looks shoddy, what surprises does the hidden workmanship have for us.”

 

[Euclid]

Oh - I'm in agreement with you on all of that!

 

[Michael Kellough]

A good sleeping berth in weightless conditions might not be so comfortable in a trial in the presence of gravity.

 

[Packard]

A good sleeping berth in weightless conditions might not the so comfortable in a trial in the presence of gravity.

Yes, I agree. But there is a significant amount of historical information on this, including the hammock arrangement shown in my post #10 from previous missions. So that argument seems weak to me.

If you tally up all the manned hours in space in the modules, there is sufficient data available to make a reasonable, and reasoned decision prior to lift-off. It feels like corners-cut, not adjusting-to-a-new-enviorinment.

The whole thing feels slapped together after the rest of the mission was engineered.

If someone advertises a “fully restored, body off chassis” Silver Cloud Rolls Royce, and the paint job was Rustoleum applied with a roller, how much faith would you have in the restoration?