Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!princeton!idacrd!mac From: mac@idacrd.UUCP (Robert McGwier) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Shuttle Crew Seats Message-ID: <511@idacrd.UUCP> Date: 30 Nov 89 17:53:53 GMT References: Organization: idacrd, princeton, nj Lines: 29 From article , by rb5d+@andrew.cmu.edu (Robert Bates): > > From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) : >> KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - TUESDAY, NOV. 21, 1989 >> STS-33 - (OV 103) - PAD 39-B - LAUNCH MINUS ONE DAY >> >> Today, the orbiter's communications system will be >> activated, the navigation systems will be tested and the flight >> crew seats will be installed in the flight and mid decks. > > Why do they wait until one day before launch to install seats? Why aren't > they attached more or less permanently like flight crew seats in aircraft? > One word explains that. MASS. They always try to minimize the mass to orbit. Calculate how much energy must be expended sending an empty seat to orbit and you can imagine the anger of (say) some scientist who has been told his 100 Kg experiment can't be flown because that 500 Kg of empty seats are in the shuttle. Bob -- ____________________________________________________________________________ My opinions are my own no matter | Robert W. McGwier, N4HY who I work for! ;-) | CCR, AMSAT, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------