Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!timbuk!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john From: john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Horizontal shuttle take-off Message-ID: <576@newave.UUCP> Date: 8 Jan 91 03:29:08 GMT References: <6432@fs3.cam.nist.gov> <1991Jan4.180640.2723@zoo.toronto.edu> Reply-To: john@newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III) Organization: NeWave Communications Ltd, Eden Prairie, MN Lines: 25 In article heskett@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Donald Heskett) writes: > Uhh...isn't the shuttle's fuel tank kinda gonna get in the way during > a horizontal takeoff? You must be assuming that the shuttle would take off with it's gear down. This would not be a good way to start a flight. Since the shuttle gear cannot be retracted, the shuttle probably would not survive re-enrty with the landing gear doors open. Since we are being silly anyway, how about taking a normal shuttle stack with SRB's and setting it horizontal onto a winged dolly. The dolly would have wheels that would allow the stack to roll down a runway. The dolly would also need wings to provide lift and control surfaces to get the thing pointed towards space. The dolly would be ejected as soon as the stack was in flight pointed towards space. Kind of like the Me-163 on steriods. -john- -- =============================================================================== John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications ...uunet!rosevax!tcnet!wd0gol!newave!john ===============================================================================