keithley@applelink.apple.com (Craig Keithley) (11/13/90)
I would theorize that the reason the DoD mostly uses Atlantis is: The newer the shuttle, the lighter it is. The lighter the shuttle, the heavier the payload can be. The heavier the payload, the happier the DoD. Is this true? (hopefully Henry Spencer knows!) Craig Keithley, Apple Computer keithley@applelink.apple.com [standard disclaimers apply!]
vail@tegra.COM (Johnathan Vail) (11/15/90)
In article <11209@goofy.Apple.COM> keithley@applelink.apple.com (Craig Keithley) writes: I would theorize that the reason the DoD mostly uses Atlantis is: The newer the shuttle, the lighter it is. The lighter the shuttle, the heavier the payload can be. The heavier the payload, the happier the DoD. Is this true? (hopefully Henry Spencer knows!) I don't like to post without solid references but in the spirit of the net... I had read (somewhere) that the reason the DOD uses Atlantis mostly is because *they* paid for it. Originally it was to be used almost exlusively by the DOD for the DOD but after Challenger that distinction got blurred some. The mentioned technical reasons (weight and different communication eqpt) would also be valid in this situation. "Voyager 2, where are you now, looking back and weeping, cold and alone in the dark void, winding down and bleeping" -- Bob Geldof _____ | | Johnathan Vail | n1dxg@tegra.com |Tegra| (508) 663-7435 | N1DXG@448.625-(WorldNet) ----- jv@n1dxg.ampr.org {...sun!sunne ..uunet}!tegra!vail
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (11/15/90)
In article <1742@atlas.tegra.COM> vail@tegra.COM (Johnathan Vail) writes: >I had read (somewhere) that the reason the DOD uses Atlantis mostly is >because *they* paid for it... No, the orbiters all came out of the NASA budget, which is one reason why NASA wasn't keen on the idea of officially dedicating some of them to military missions. -- "I don't *want* to be normal!" | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology "Not to worry." | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry