Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!aoab314
From: aoab314@ut-emx.uucp (Srinivas Bettadpur)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Shuttle question
Message-ID: <40040@ut-emx.uucp>
Date: 21 Nov 90 19:46:13 GMT
References: <20489.273935bf@merrimack.edu> <1990Nov19.140100@alazif.cxo.dec.com> <3795@cuisun.unige.ch>
Organization: Center for Space Research, U of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Lines: 22

In article <3795@cuisun.unige.ch> vp@cui.unige.ch (Vassilis Prevelakis) writes:
>In article <1990Nov19.140100@alazif.cxo.dec.com> wherry@alazif.enet.dec.com writes:
>>>This may sound like a stupid question, but has there ever been two shuttles in
>>>orbit at the same time?
>>
>>No. JSC is not equipped to handle the telemetry from two oribters at once. 
>Eh?  Mission control is in Houston TX.  JSC has LAUNCH CONTROL ROOMS
>and it has three of them.  Control is passed over to Houston shortly
>after launch.
>I am not sure how many mission control rooms are in Houston though.

  To add my two cents worth, I thought they were talking about JSC
when they mentioned Houston.  Or should the sentence read
  '  "KSC" has LAUNCH CONTROL ROOMS ... '

Anyway, that brings me to my next question.  Would some kind soul 
provide some info on the selection of alternative landing sites for
the shuttle ?  Somehow, I never knew Florida was an alternative.
Don't they need stupendous ground facilities (like a huge runway
and so on) for the shuttle to be able land there ?
Thanks, in advance
Srinivas Bettadpur