yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (04/26/91)
Mark Hess Headquarters, Washington, D.C. April 24, 1991 (Phone: 202/453-4164) Janet Dean Rockwell International, Downey, Calif. (Phone: 213/922-5227) RELEASE: 91-62 NEW U.S. SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR TO ROLLOUT The United States' new Space Shuttle orbiter, the Endeavour, will rollout tomorrow at a ceremony at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., where the orbiter was assembled by Rockwell International Corporation's Space System Division (SSD). A crowd to include several thousand Rockwell employees and their families, government leaders and top Rockwell and NASA officials is expected as the Endeavour makes its public debut. Endeavour is the fifth operational orbiter Rockwell has built for the U.S. Space Shuttle program. NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly calls Endeavour NASA's finest Space Shuttle yet and praised the efforts of tens of thousands of people on the NASA/industry team across the nation who contributed to the new orbiter's construction. Truly stated, "On behalf of NASA and the nation, I am extremely proud to be taking delivery of the Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour, the latest in a line of magnificent flying machines. Painstakingly built by some of the finest and most dedicated members of the government/industry work force in America and equipped with extremely capable avionics and mechanical systems, Endeavour will join our fleet of remarkable space ships -- Columbia, Discovery and Atlantis -- in carrying out the world's grandest adventure, the exploration of this vast new ocean we call space." Members of the crew of Endeavour's first flight will be on hand to receive the ceremonial "keys" to Endeavour from Rockwell. Dr. Robert Duce, Dean of the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography and Vice Provost for Marine Affairs, will present NASA with Endeavour's first "payload" -- a sternpost remnant recovered from the orbiter's namesake, the first sailing ship commanded by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1768-1771. On the trip, Cook observed and recorded the transit of the planet Venus. The artifact will be carried aboard Endeavour on her maiden voyage. The name Endeavour resulted from a nationwide orbiter-naming competition supported by educational projects created by student teams in elementary and secondary schools. President Bush chose the name, which was proposed by both a fifth grade class in Mississippi and a team of Georgian students in grades 8-12. Endeavour is scheduled to be mated to NASA's new Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at the Rockwell Palmdale facility early next week and flown to Ellington Field, near NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, for an overnight stay. Endeavour is scheduled to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on May 3. A total of $1.8 billion was spent on Endeavour: approximately $1.6 billion on the orbiter vehicle and orbiter support items such as extravehicular mobility units, television cameras, upgrades to the Remote Manipulator System, government- furnished equipment such as recorders and support for safety and quality inspections; and approximately another $0.2 billion on four Space Shuttle main engines. SSD manages the Endeavour construction program under the direction of the Johnson Space Center. Fabrication of Endeavour's forward and aft fuselages, forward reaction control system, crew compartment and secondary structures was completed at SSD's headquarters facility in Downey, Calif. Final assembly, test and checkout were performed at the SSD Palmdale facility. In addition, more than 250 major subcontractors and approximately 3,450 associated suppliers nationwide performed work on Endeavour's components and support services, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total work on the program.
sharp@mizar.usc.edu (Malcolm Sharp) (04/26/91)
Does anyone know if Endeavour can be seen by the general public before it leaves for KSC? Also, is next week's departure time known...I'd love to see that! Thanx.
rwelarat@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (RU1 Welaratna) (04/27/91)
>approximately another $0.2 billion on four Space Shuttle main engines.
^^^^
Four engines? I thought all the shuttle had just three main engines with
another two maneuvering (sp?) jets. Can someone clear this up?
--
Another stupid opinion from,
RU1 Welaratna
rwelarat@jarthur.claremont.edu
rwelaratna@hmcvax.bitnethenry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (04/27/91)
In article <11918@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> rwelarat@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (RU1 Welaratna) writes: >Four engines? I thought all the shuttle had just three main engines with >another two maneuvering (sp?) jets. Can someone clear this up? Presumably this is three flight engines plus a spare. Actually there will be more, since engine life is only ten flights or so. -- And the bean-counter replied, | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology "beans are more important". | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
mll@aio.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Littlefield) (04/27/91)
In article <11918@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>, rwelarat@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (RU1 Welaratna) writes: |> |> >approximately another $0.2 billion on four Space Shuttle main engines. |> ^^^^ |> |> Four engines? I thought all the shuttle had just three main engines with |> another two maneuvering (sp?) jets. Can someone clear this up? |> |> -- |> Another stupid opinion from, |> RU1 Welaratna |> rwelarat@jarthur.claremont.edu |> rwelaratna@hmcvax.bitnet The engines are rotated and occasionally serviced. You wouldn't want a system that had no spare parts now, would you? ===================================================================== Mark L. Littlefield Automation and Robotics Division internet: mll@aio.jsc.nasa.gov Intelligent Systems Branch USsnail: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences 2400 Nasa Rd 1 / MS 19 Houston, TX 77258 ====================================================================
rick@ofa123.fidonet.org (Rick Ellis) (05/10/91)
On <Apr 26 19:59> RU1 Welaratna writes:
RW> Four engines? I thought all the shuttle had just three main engines with
RW> another two maneuvering (sp?) jets. Can someone clear this up?
A spare?
--
Rick Ellis
Internet: rick@ofa123.fidonet.org
Compuserve: >internet:rick@ofa123.fidonet.org
BBS: 714 939-1041 (HST/V.32bis)kent@vf.jsc.nasa.gov (05/14/91)
In article <3218.282A166A@ofa123.fidonet.org>, rick@ofa123.fidonet.org (Rick Ellis) writes: > On <Apr 26 19:59> RU1 Welaratna writes: > > RW> Four engines? I thought all the shuttle had just three main engines with > RW> another two maneuvering (sp?) jets. Can someone clear this up? > > A spare? > Yes, NASA bought 4 engines with Endevour.... each shuttle uses three so yes a spare. -- Mike Kent - Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company at NASA JSC 2400 NASA Rd One, Houston, TX 77058 (713) 483-3791 KENT@vf.jsc.nasa.gov