Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: NASA: A Can-Do Agency Becomes A Can't Do Bureaucracy
Message-ID: <1990Jul30.002522.28408@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <8824@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> <=^1$NW#@rpi.edu> <1990Jul25.155957.27656@zoo.toronto.edu> <9718@hacgate.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 90 00:25:22 GMT

In article <9718@hacgate.UUCP> yamauchi@aic.hrl.hac.com writes:
>>the US commercial launch industry is facing a major capacity glut ...
>>... The US very definitely could use more
>>timely and cheaper launches, even if it doesn't need 90 a year...
>
>These statements seem a bit contradictory.  Does the U.S. have a
>launch capacity shortage or an oversupply? ...

The US has an oversupply of expensive, long-lead-time launches, and
a distinct shortage of timely, cheap, convenient launches.

>And even once the backlog clears, is the shuttle _really_ going to be
>launching often enough to meet its promises (what was that about 24
>launches/year?) and take all of the customers away from the private
>launch companies?

The shuttle won't be taking the customers away from them; Ariane will. :-)
There aren't enough to keep them all going even without that competition,
actually.
-- 
The 486 is to a modern CPU as a Jules  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
Verne reprint is to a modern SF novel. |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry