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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Re: Shuttle external tanks
Message-ID: <6197@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Dec-85 17:56:31 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.6197
Posted: Mon Dec  2 17:56:31 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 2-Dec-85 17:56:31 EST
References: <8512012228.AA13706@s1-b.arpa>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 14

> ...[fitting out a tank as a space station means] installing and checking
> out your equipment. Contrast this with sending up space station modules pre-
> configured and checked out on the ground.

Don't forget that checking things out on the ground means major expenses
in "system integration" to make sure that things will stay in that state
throughout launch.  I believe the "Leasecraft" commercial platform project
concluded that it was simpler and cheaper, overall, to plug the thing
together in orbit, rather than doing it on the ground and then having to
make very, very sure that it would stay plugged together through a rough
and noisy launch.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry