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From: okie@ihuxs.UUCP (B.K. Cobb)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Spacelab Turned On
Message-ID: <430@ihuxs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Nov-83 15:33:01 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxs.430
Posted: Tue Nov 29 15:33:01 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Dec-83 03:18:11 EST
References: <2319@alice.UUCP>, <1653@ihuxf.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 20

Spacelab will not be left in orbit; it has no guidance/stabilization
systems, nor any long-term orbital life support capabilities.  If it
is to be used more than once, it will be lifted by shuttle each time.

I, too, was amazed at the open feel and the size of Spacelab.  But
after thinking about it, I realized that it pretty much fills the
cargo bay of the shuttle -- and that's a goodly space to fill.  Plus
most of the space is open, to allow a group of people to move about
and work without getting in each other's way.  If you'll remember,
Skylab was much bigger, but it was more crowded -- divided into
"decks", filled with life-support and research equipment.  The only
really big open space was near the passage to the docking module;
they did the tests with the EVA mobility pack up in that space.
The specialists that work in Spacelab actually live in the shuttle's
crew compartments.

Hope this helps,

B.K.Cobb
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL