NASA Will Man Destruct Switch Just In Case

Ant writes "Popular Mechanics reports if the looming Discovery mission or any other between now and the spacecraft's retirement loses control, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is prepared to ditch it in the Atlantic ocean — or blow it up. The article also shows complete no-fly-zone maps and a photograph of the switch."

Four Buttons?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand why there are four switches. I mean, I understand "Arm" and "Destruct", but why "test"? Does that blow up just a small section of the shuttle? I would have thought that turning off the "Arm" would be the same as "Safe"

I know, I know ... it's the engineers having a laugh. Getting a kick out of the confused looks on stupid people like myself.

photograph

[Anonymous Coward]

I looked at TFA, and I gotta tell you, it's an exciting picture of the switch. Actually, it looks like FOUR switches and FOUR buttons. Well worth going to the site to see it.

Re:Four Buttons?

[JustOK]

The test switch only works once.

Re:Not news

[moteyalpha]

Could we get a set of buttons like that on this article? If the comments are going down in flames, CmdrTaco could self destruct the article.

Re:Four Buttons?

[torstenvl]

NOP? For shame, wasting your delay slots

Re:People inside?

[dotancohen]

Yes, this is not news. But they have a picture of THE SWITCHES. Ooh, aah.

That's so that visitors know what not to fuck with while on tour.

Re:Not news

[dotancohen]

Some people get them for every post. It's called -1 [troll||redundant||offtopic||overrated]. The people with them are called mods. Watch what they do to both our poor posts now.

Re:Four Buttons?

[Alwin Henseler]

Sure hope those are labeled correctly... just in case anyone at NASA would think it's a funny prank, I recommend NASA add one more rule to their launch procedures: "DO NOT lauch on April 1st"

Best use a time window, to allow for differences in 'local time' (a relative notion for space operations)

Re:Four Buttons?

[Anonymous Coward]

I like the general layout of the buttons.

The only recommendation I would make is to move the distruct button to the right by another half to full inch.

Slashdot Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

Test: ping

Arm: login root

Destruct: rm / -rf

Safe: logout

Re:Four Buttons?

[theeddie55]

The only recommendation I would make is to move the distruct button to the right by another half to full inch.

They tried that... Not aesthetically pleasing.

Re:Encoded Signals

[barry99705]

It probably uses WEP.

Re:Four Buttons?

[c6gunner]

I had heard once that there were two buttons the RSO had to use to blow up the shuttle, and that the first button activated an indicator in the cockpit that let the astronauts know what was about to happen.

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Only it's not an indication-light. It actually activates a system which releases streamers and balloons, while loud celebratory music blares out of hidden speakers, and an amplified voice yells "CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU'VE WON A FABULOUS TRIP TO PARADISE!!!!".

Re:Four Buttons?

[greeze]

They should've had Apple design it. Apple would've done it with only ONE switch.

Re:Four Buttons?

[syousef]

I don't understand why there are four switches. I mean, I understand "Arm" and "Destruct", but why "test"? Does that blow up just a small section of the shuttle?

That button is for mission controllers that wanted to be astronauts but didn't make the cut. It blows up just one astronaut, but leaves the shuttle flying. Correct procedure when using this button is to laugh maniacally then yell "Who wants to be an astronaut now, bitch!" before flicking the switch.

Re:Four Buttons?

[davolfman]

Did we actually argue here? or did we just agree in a very hostile fashion?

Re:Four Buttons?

[dotancohen]

I'd like to think that we had a discussion. My experience as a loving husband forbibs me to categorize discussions as "arguments" or "conversations".