dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) (03/13/89)
I noticed an article in today's (3/12/89) NY Times about the shuttle. The article comments on the tight schedule of launches this year due to all the constraints from interplanetary launch windows, the decay of LDEF's orbit, and delays so far. The Dec. launch of HST is described as "success oriented" (read: don't count on it). The article observes that NASA is back to its old practice of cannibalizing orbiters to get spare parts, a practice that the Rogers commission explicitly criticized. The MEC replacement for the current launch came from Columbia. Other examples were alluded to but not decribed. I guess buying an adequate supply of spare parts was just too expensive. Paul F. Dietz dietz@cs.rochester.edu