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From: dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Perry G Ramsey)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: orbiters
Summary: OV-101 would have been "Constitution"
Message-ID: <5860@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 23 Oct 90 15:00:37 GMT
References: <3833@awdprime.UUCP> <5758@mace.cc.purdue.edu> <1058@dg.dg.com> <101@abode.UUCP>
Organization: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Lines: 32

In article <101@abode.UUCP>, eric@abode.UUCP (Eric C. Bennett) writes:
> 
> Wasn't there supposed to be five (5) shuttles in the first place? I thought
> they cut it down to 4 because of budget problems. 

I think that was something like Pad 39-C and the Nova.  Somebody's pipe
dream about what they wanted.

> With a name like 'Enterprise' I think they should
> have made it a 'real' orbiter.

OV-101 was originally to have been called "Constitution", after the ship.
In the nick of time, a sufficient number of Trekkies pressured the
right people and the name was changed to "Enterprise", also, ostensibly,
after the ship, but really after the starship.  Due to the concerted
efforts of "Enterprise" fans everywhere, that
name now sits in the hanger.  

Moral:  Be careful of what you ask for.
You might get it.  And you may not like the results.

Henry Spencer mentioned that they are now working on OV-106, a new set
of structural spares.  It's worth noting that it takes years just to
build the spare parts for an orbiter. (57 months is the number I remember
for the aft thrust structure.)  Keeping the production up is absolutely
essential if they ever want to fix or replace orbiters.  This kind of
stuff can't be found on the shelf at K-Mart.
-- 
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.