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From: dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Perry G Ramsey)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: orbiters
Summary: Enterprise WAS intended to be launched into space.
	 The Dedicated Test Article (a.k.a. OV-099, a.k.a. Challenger) WASN'
Message-ID: <5852@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 22 Oct 90 22:40:30 GMT
References: <3833@awdprime.UUCP> <5758@mace.cc.purdue.edu> <1058@dg.dg.com> <100@abode.UUCP>
Organization: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Lines: 32

In article <100@abode.UUCP>, eric@abode.UUCP (Eric C. Bennett) writes:
> In article <1990Oct22.051612.799@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:
> >Well, it would be more correct to say that Challenger has been buried with
> >full honors...

An apt description.

> Well, the Enterprise was never intended to be launced into space. It didn't
> even have real engines in it.
> 
> Eric

Enterprise WAS supposed to be the first flight article.  In testing, the
structural wear became excessive, and someone got the bright idea of
taking the structural test article, turning it into a flight orbiter,
and keeping Enterprise on the ground.  Which is just what happened.

OV-099    Challenger  The first structure
   101    Enterprise  The first orbiter to fly
   102    Columbia    The first orbiter to orbit
   103    Discovery
   104    Atlantis
   105    Endeavour

For the record, what is now Endeavour was known as OV-105 even in the
days before it was supposed to be a flight article.  In the old days,
it was known as the structural spares program.
-- 
Perry G. Ramsey           Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
perryr@vm.cc.purdue.edu   Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN USA
dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu    We've looked at clouds from ten sides now, 
			  And we REALLY don't know clouds, at all.