Asri-unix.1373
net.space
utzoo!decvax!cca!Tavares.Coop@MIT-MULTICS@sri-unix
Thu Apr 29 17:02:18 1982
Saturn Plumes / Solar Max Repair
Bear with me-- I'm not an astro expert.

1) I thought it was a principle of nozzle design that the expansion area
was made to expand the exhaust gases to atmospheric pressure, and this
was a cardinal optimization.  (Hence the references to "underexpanded"
and "overexpanded nozzles".)  Why is the Saturn V "so underexpanded" that
the gases blow back (forward, actually) so far?

2) Why go through the exercise of dragging the satellite in, docking,
etc.  just to change three fuses?  Couldn't it be done in place?