Red Bull Stratos - So many buttons!

[machineman9]

I have a bit of a question, for anyone who is in the know...

I had a look at the Red Bull Stratos gallery (a Red Bull ambition to beat the record set by Joseph Kittinger and develop a new space suit) and they have a picture of the launch capsule for the new pilot...

Have a look here


And I'm wondering... Why are there so many buttons?! I thought it was just a helium balloon with a giant tin can strapped to it.

Can anyone fill me in?


Cheers.

[Steve M]

Ah yes, why are there so many buttons? Just why are there so many buttons.. (Tapping fingernails on desk) So many butto.. Wait a sec, Whats the log book for? "I went up and jumped out" 

[andy190]

Maybe the buttons are for controlling how much helium is in the balloon. :-/

[beaky]

Well, it is a lot like a spacecraft without a rocket motor.
You have the balloon and its related subsystems (lifting gas control, monitoring for that, heater possibly, emergency venting, etc.). Then there's the capsule: life support for the suit, comm and nav gear, etc... I'm not sure if it is, but if the capsule itself is pressurized, that's another whole subsystem (pumps, valves, sensors,etc.) There's probably more than one electrical buss for redundancy, and maybe redundant devices for each subsystem). So a few dozen switches and circuit breakers doesn't seem like very many to me. I'd imagine the units used in the Excelsior and ManHigh projects were similarly complicated.

[expat]

Because we are in the 21st century and everything has to be as complex and as expensive as possible. KISS went out the window after the last lunar landing

Matt

[DaveSims]

I once read, the key to flying any aircraft is to use the shiny knob theory.

You are only supposed to use the shiny knobs, because those are the ones everyone else has used.  If you move one, and the aircraft does something bad, put it back.

The other part of the shiny knob theory, stay away from any aircraft that the emergency knobs are shiny...someone has had exciting flights in this aircraft repeatedly.

[beaky]

[quote]I once read, the key to flying any aircraft is to use the shiny knob theory.

You are only supposed to use the shiny knobs, because those are the ones everyone else has used.