Message-ID: <cZtBbwG00VcJI-U05t@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 90 01:36:45 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #74

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 11 : Issue 74

Today's Topics:
       Re: Fun Space Fact #1: Launcher Development Costs (long)
	     NASA Headline News for 02/21/90 (Forwarded)
	  Re: Fun Space Fact #1: Launcher Development Costs
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Date: 22 Feb 90 16:41:23 GMT
From: snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Fun Space Fact #1: Launcher Development Costs (long)

In article <522@sixhub.UUCP> davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>| [assembly in space]
>
>  It's not clear what the overhead of doing physically large (not just
>heavy) things like LDEF would be. Since we have limited experience in
>building large and complex things in space, I don't trust approximations
>of how much overhead would be added to do assembly.

There are some open questions about how much work it would be to do
in-space assembly, although there is enough experience with such things
already to say that it's probably manageable if your cheap launch system
is man-rated.  LDEF actually is an unusually favorable case, because it's
just a framework and a bunch of experiment trays.  Things like large mirrors
would be trickier (the astronomers have started doing it on Earth, but
there's not exactly a wealth of experience with it yet).
-- 
"The N in NFS stands for Not, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
or Need, or perhaps Nightmare"| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

------------------------------

Date: 21 Feb 90 18:20:45 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 02/21/90 (Forwarded)

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Wednesday, February 21, 1990                  Audio: 202/755-1788
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is NASA Headline News for Wednesday, February 21.....


Launch preparations at Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39a continue to 
proceed smoothly.  This morning, the Rotating Service Structure 
was moved into park position to prepare for loading the shuttle's 
external tank with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.  The STS-36 
Atlantis shuttle launch is scheduled between 12:00 AM and 4:00 AM, 
Thursday.  Current weather forecasts indicate the possiblity of 
rain, low clouds and cross winds.  That says there's only a 30% 
probability of favorable conditions.


The commercial options for space may prove to be more valuable 
than expected when the results come in from a new study between 
NASA and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in 
Boulder, Colorado.  The concept explores the possibility of using 
shuttle external tanks as storage units, research labs or 
manufacturing facilities when placed into low-Earth orbit.


The Washington Business Magazine reported yesterday that 
the Fairfax-based Orbital Sciences Corporation plans to launch a 
possible public stock offer.  O-S-C is counting on its smaller 
and less expensive launch vehicles to attract private companies 
and universities that want to launch satellites.  The response to 
the offer may indicate the health of such offerings as a source 
of entrepreneurial capital and be a bellwether of the new-issue 
market.


The Huntsville Times reports a Congressional budget review may 
require advancing the launch date of the Japanese and European 
Space Agency modules for the space station resulting in a slow 
down of development. NASA Associate Administrator for Space 
Flight William Lenoir said, "there's a host of technical issues 
that would need to be worked out...right now it's largely a power 
issue."


                              ####


----------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the broadcast schedule for public affairs events on NASA 
Select TV.  All times are Eastern.


Wednesday, February 21.....

     11:00 P.M.      Coverage begins of STS-36 launch only 
                     television.  Launch will occur sometime                   
                     between 12 midnight and 4:00 A.M., Thursday.


Thursday, February 22......
     
      11:30 A.M.      NASA Update will be transmitted.


All events and times are subject to change without notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12 noon, 
Eastern time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A service of the Internal Communications Branch (LPC), NASA 
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

------------------------------

Date: 23 Feb 90 01:41:42 GMT
From: serre@boulder.colorado.edu  (SERRE GLENN)
Subject: Re: Fun Space Fact #1: Launcher Development Costs

In article <1990Feb22.164427.10086@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>
>>So what are Titan IV and Commercial Titan, chopped liver? ...
>
>Medium launchers.  "Heavy" means Saturn V / Energia class.  (We won't even

What, my postscript didn't get included with the article?  
The PS was something to the effect of "Heavy meaning like the shuttle, not
trully heavy like Saturn V."

>Remember also that the Titan launch rate is pitiful.  NASA launched Saturns
>at a higher rate than that...  (It helped that the Saturn launch facilities
>were designed for high launch rates.)

Part of the reason that the Titan launch rate is pitiful is that the Shuttle
gets priority when launch slots and range support are allocated.  
Another reason is that the current Titan payloads want incredible amounts
of on-pad processing time.  A third reason is that Titan program was dying
 before the '86 shuttle crash and the Titan launch facilities were allowed 
to decay.

FYI, the Titan processing facilities could support a fairly high
launch rate if the payloads didn't require so much prep time on pad.  The 
Titan facilities have 3 bays for core vehicle assembly, a separate building
for SRM assembly and mate, and two launch pads.  

--Glenn Serre
serre@tramp.colorado.edu

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End of SPACE Digest V11 #74
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