ks@astrovax.UUCP (Karl Stapelfeldt) (10/17/83)
Does anyone have any information as to whether the possible delay of the
Columbia/Spacelab mission until February would adversely affect the planned
late January launching of the Challenger? (the mission called STS-11 at one
time). I wonder about the availablility of VAB space for the Challenger,
launch pad turnaround time, and simulator scheduling problems if the
Spacelab mission is delayed until next year.
I wonder if NASA may feel forced to abandon Spacelab science launch
window constraints because of the wider implications of the long delay.
This latest of many delays is another disappointment for the shuttle program.
NASA's decision on science vs. scheduling is going to be a very difficult
one.
Karl Stapelfeldt
Princeton SEDSks@astrovax.UUCP (10/23/83)
I thought I would pass on some information that I have recently learned that
answered my own question about the possible effects of a STS-9 delay until
February on the planned launch of the Challenger in January. The answer:
None. According to NASA administrator James Beggs, in an interview with
WPRB radio here in Princeton, the Challenger will be unaffected by the
Columbia/Spacelab delay even if it is to last until February.
One of the reasons that the Challenger mission (at one time called STS-11)
will be unaffected is that the planned November STS-10 mission was cancelled
due to IUS (Inertial Upper Stage) problems. It's a sad state when one problem
causes the cancellation of a mission, giving subsequent missions' problems
more time for resolution.