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From: dietz@SLB-DOLL.CSNET (Paul Dietz)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Why the Shuttle Flies Upside Down (Surpise!)
Message-ID: <8603191422.AA08950@s1-b.arpa>
Date: Wed, 19-Mar-86 08:09:58 EST
Article-I.D.: s1-b.8603191422.AA08950
Posted: Wed Mar 19 08:09:58 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Mar-86 06:09:19 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
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I read in Aviation Week that the new filament wound SRB's for Vandenburg
launches may never fly because of reliability concerns.   This may make
the shuttles unable to launch large spy satellites into polar orbits.
One possible fix the article mentioned was to make the shuttle fly
right-side-up for the first part of the flight; this is supposed to
add 4000 pounds of payload capacity to polar orbit, but would require
slightly more SRB thrust in the very beginning of the flight.