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From: dbm@icarus.jsc.nasa.gov (Brad Mears)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Space Shuttle Enterprise
Message-ID: <1991Apr25.203708.20989@aio.jsc.nasa.gov>
Date: 25 Apr 91 20:37:08 GMT
References: <1991Apr20.161545.14633@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> <1198@sppy00.UUCP> <1648@vtserf.cc.vt.edu> <2814A667.538E@ibma0.cs.uiuc.edu> <1991Apr25.140350.3543@waikato.ac.nz> <1991Apr25.195733.11534@aio.jsc.nasa.gov>
Sender: dbm@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov (Brad Mears)
Organization: Barrios Technology @ NASA/JSC; Houston
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In article <1991Apr25.195733.11534@aio.jsc.nasa.gov>, dbm@icarus.jsc.nasa.gov (Brad Mears) writes:
|> 
|> To the best of my knowledge, Enterprise was the first full-scale flight
|> quality orbiter constructed.  Among other things, it was used for vibration
|> testing.  Since these tests subjected it to serious overloads, it is forever
|> prohibited from flight.  It is now property of the Smithsonian Air & Space
|> Museum.  

Please allow me to humbly wipe the egg from my face.  I am informed by someone 
that should know, that I was wrong.  The corrected history is like this -

OV-099 : Challenger
OV-100 : Pathfinder
OV-101 : Enterprise

OV-099 was the first vehicle to ENTER the assembly line.  This does not mean it
was the first one to get rolled-out.  The first one out was Pathfinder.  The
second was Enterprise, and the third was Challenger.

Pathfinder (OV-100) was used for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test (MVGVT).
This was the "vibration testing" to which I referred.
Enterprise (OV-101) was used for the Approach and Landing Test (ALT).  The ALT
involved mating Enterprise to the SCA and then releasing it during flight.  This
allowed NASA to test the landing procedures.  The reason Enterprise is barred 
from flight is NOT that it experienced "overloads".  Rather, it was never
qualified for space-flight (as opposed to air-flight).  Its only purpose in life
was ALT.


-- 
Brad Mears
dbm@icarus.jsc.nasa.gov

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