MS. STILSON: Last question. Jonathan from St. Louisville asks, during launch, why is there so much steam on the launch pad? MR. LYONS: Well, early in the program, we found that we had a lot of vibration when we launched. And this vibration was damaging some of our tile. So in an attempt to keep that from happening, we designed a system that actually floods or dumps hundreds of thousands of gallons of water onto the launch pad. And this keeps that vibration from being a problem. When the heat from the engines hit the water, it creates all the steam you see during liftoff. MS. STILSON: Doug, I know what a busy time this is for you, so it means a lot that you took time to join us today. We're all looking forward to a great launch. MR. LYONS: Well, Stephanie, it's been great to be here. And I, too, really am looking forward to Wednesday. It's going to be a great moment.
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NASA ID
ksc_071005_114_lyons-15
Date Created
July 18, 2005
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KSC
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video
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NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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