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From: rjnoe@riccb.UUCP (Roger J. Noe)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Launch of 51-I
Message-ID: <507@riccb.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Aug-85 14:04:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: riccb.507
Posted: Wed Aug 28 14:04:03 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Aug-85 20:17:35 EDT
References: <4221@alice.UUCP>
Organization: Rockwell International - Downers Grove, IL
Lines: 30

> At 0658 EDT today, Discovery punched its way through a hole in
> the cloud cover over KSC and roared into orbit.

That was one of the most spectacular launches I've ever seen.  Blackness
all around, yet not completely enveloping like the night Apollo launch
or STS-8 two years ago.  It's like the hole in the clouds was created
just for the shuttle to go through.  Absolutely amazing.

They've successfully deployed two of their three communications satellites
with the third planned to go Thursday, I think.  That leaves Friday for
maneuvering toward the dead Syncom and the rendezvous and repair over the
weekend.  I hope this time they'll put some of this on TV (apart from 20
seconds on the news).

Upcoming launches:
10/01/85  mission 51-J  Defense Department mission, first launch of Atlantis.
10/30/85  mission 61-A  Spacelab D-1, Materials Processing.  Challenger.
			Eight - countem - eight crew members on this one.
11/21/85  mission 51-H  Earth Observation Mission 1, second Atlantis mission.
12/20/85  mission 61-C  The return of Columbia!  It's been undergoing quite
			a bit of refurbishment and upgrading since December
			1983.  It returns to deploy some satellites.

And then 1986 is going to be a banner year for the shuttle.  Spacelab 4, the
TELESCOPE, a polar orbit launch from Vandenberg AFB, Ulysses (International
Solar Polar Mission), and Galileo (Jupiter orbiter/probe) and that's just
what's scheduled through May!  And they wanted to delete net.columbia?
--
Roger Noe			ihnp4!ihopa!riccb!rjnoe
Rockwell International