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From: alb@alice.UUCP (Adam L. Buchsbaum)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Abort to Orbit
Message-ID: <4072@alice.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 17:47:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: alice.4072
Posted: Mon Jul 29 17:47:18 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 03:28:15 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 11

Six minutes into its flight, Challenger lost power in its
centre main engine, and the other two engines burned 1
minute 32 seconds longer to compensate.  The crew was
instructed to abort to orbit, bypassing a possible emergency
landing in Rota, Spain.  The shuttle ended up in an
orbit ranging between 120 and 160 miles, lower than
the hoped for 240 mile circular orbit.  An OMS burn
33 minutes into flight is to circularlize the orbit.
NASA hopes that the mission can be completed to its
full seven day duration, but no decision has been
made yet.