Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!menudo.uh.edu!lobster!sugar!taronga!peter From: peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Fuel-line door questions... Message-ID: Date: 6 Mar 91 02:22:43 GMT References: <2461@ksr.com> Organization: A corner of our bedroom Lines: 21 clj@ksr.com (Chris Jones) writes: > >Of course fixing the doors would be simpler, but the question was, > >what if you _couldn't_? > If you can't do the simpler thing, why does doing the more difficult thing > have any chance of success? This is a simplistic response to the question. "Difficulty" isn't a linear measure. This isn't D&D where you roll 6d6 to see if you can get the doors closed, and 9d6 to see if you can change orbits. It may require tooling you don't have or procedures you can't perform in vaccuum. It may be that you could achieve partial success: rescuing some of the crew, perhaps, by using payload thrusters. Or rescue the crew and lose the orbiter. For that matter you might be able to save the orbiter by putting it in a higher orbit, rather than trying to save the crew. It's a complex question and deserves more than a simple answer. -- (peter@taronga.uucp.ferranti.com) `-_-' 'U`