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From: lmc@cisden.UUCP (Lyle McElhaney)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: TDRS spare?
Message-ID: <536@cisden.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Mar-86 11:11:54 EST
Article-I.D.: cisden.536
Posted: Wed Mar  5 11:11:54 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Mar-86 21:58:24 EST
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> > It occurs to me that TDRS is so very important that we ought to
> > build one or two spares now that one was lost in the Challenger explosion.
> 
> Unfortunatly, TDRS cost ~$100M so I doubt congress will approve
> funding for "spares".
> 
Ah, but there *was* a spare, fortunately; now its no longer a spare. It
was meant to be a backup earthside, in case of failure of one of the on-orbit
TDRS's. Ultimately, TDRS-A was to be replaced and semi-retired, available
for emergencies, leaving TDRS-B and TDRS-C to handle operations, and TDRS-4
on the ground. Now, everything is moved up.

Initial planning for TDRS started in 1978; like the shuttle, it is not
deemed prudent to build too many backups, because the technology is obsoleted
so fast.

Lyle McElhaney
...hao!cisden!lmc