XPost: sci.physics, sci.space.policy   
   From: jfmezei.spamnot@vaxination.ca   
      
   On 2017-06-01 20:44, Fred J. McCall wrote:   
      
   > You know, you'd probably do a lot better if you started thinking and   
   > stopped trying to go for some 'gotcha' moment.   
      
   In a context discussing possible launch frequency, you argued rabnge   
   safety takes weeks BETWEEN flights to get ready. I have tried to   
   understand this.   
      
   I get that they have old systems from the 1970s and need to prepare   
   punched cards containing all the paramenters.  I get that this may take   
   weeks to get done. But surely they do this montsh before launch after a   
   company has booked a pad and provides the launch parameters.   
      
   Since the randar antennas are able to track a moving rocket, surely has   
   has the ability to re-orient itself to a new launch pad within 24 hours.   
      
   And if they have the punched card ready, then reading them doesn't take   
   that long to load the program and have the antennas move to their   
   designated "start" position and know how to move as the rocket ascends.   
      
   And since they are able to go from one launch pad to the next very   
   quickly, then "taking weeks" between flights can't be a valid answer   
   since they already turn around much more quickly.   
      
   Where they may have limits is how many flights per year they can load   
   onto punched cards if each flight takes say 2 weeks of work to program,   
   then they could only do 26 flights per year if there is staff that has   
   no vacation and works every day of the year.   
      
   However, that would not dictate turn around between flights per say.   
   Only maximum overall throughput in a year. (you could have 26 flights in   
   December, but all the flight plans and range safety filed and developped   
   over a period of a year).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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