Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: In-Flight Refueling
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.215059.13318@zoo.toronto.edu>
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1991 21:50:59 GMT
References: <m2lg#-d@rpi.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <m2lg#-d@rpi.edu> sandersn@nietzsche.rdrc.rpi.edu.UUCP (Donald Sanderson) writes:
>Have there been any consideration of making modifications to the 747
>ferry aircraft to allow for in-flight refueling ?  ...

I believe the capability is (or was, at one point) planned, but more with
an eye on retrieving an orbiter after an emergency landing far from home.
Flight refueling is a sufficiently touchy process that one would prefer not
to rely on it, not with a billion-dollar shuttle orbiter aboard, just to
save a little time.
-- 
And the bean-counter replied,           | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
"beans are more important".             |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry