Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: LDEF
Message-ID: <1989Nov1.024354.6148@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <3115@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 89 02:43:54 GMT

In article <3115@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> skippy@jhunix (Ian Chesterton) writes:
>Just a quickie. After reading so much about the LDEF's predicament, I'd like
>to know if NASA's will do anything about getting it before it does a
>SKYLAB.

They're going to try, with the December shuttle launch.

>Is it possible for the shuttle to fly a dual mission? For example
>launch a satellite and retrieve the LDEF.

This is exactly what's going to happen in December.  Dual missions are
not at all uncommon; for example, LDEF was launched by the same mission
that repaired Solar Max.  (I saw it go up.  Quite different from watching
on TV, even from the cheap seats far away from the pad.)

Mind you, this particular mission should have been flown earlier.  Blame
politics and the glacially-slow Challenger recovery.  As it is, it's going
to be close for LDEF.
-- 
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu