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From: jsalter@slo.awdpa.ibm.com
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: space news from Nov 12 AW&ST
Message-ID: <1990Dec12.203855.16558@panews>
Date: 12 Dec 90 20:38:55 GMT
References: <1990Dec12.044442.2101@zoo.toronto.edu>
Sender: news@panews (news id)
Reply-To: jsalter@slo.awdpa.ibm.com (Jim Salter)
Organization: IBM AWD Development, Palo Alto
Lines: 23

In article <1990Dec12.044442.2101@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:
>Aerospatiale study confirms that Hermes would be feasible as a space-station
>lifeboat.  ESA is building two for its own use, and the station would need
>two more for lifeboat use at a total cost of about $800M.  They would go up
>on Ariane 5s and would share Hermes infrastructure for operations.  The
>payload area would be fitted with six rear-facing seats in addition to
>the two for the pilots.  The major design change needed would be better
>protection against micrometeorites and space debris for the long stay
>in orbit.

Would it be possible to work something like LLNL's kevlar coccoon around
the "spaceboat" while it's up that would rip off, or could be blown away,
when the spaceboat is used?  This would eliminate need to redesign Hermes
and would still provide the protection needed with little additional weight.

In fact, Hermes could bring the "space-shroud" up with it.

>"The average pointer, statistically,    |Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
>points somewhere in X." -Hugh Redelmeier| henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry

jim/jsalter  IBM AWD, Palo Alto  T465/(415)855-4427   VNET: JSALTER at AUSVMQ
Internet: jsalter@slo.awdpa.ibm.com         UUCP: ..!uunet!ibmsupt!jsalter 
  PS/2 it, or DIE!  :-)  The ramblings above have nothing to do with Big Blue.