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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: space news from 22 Sept AW&ST
Message-ID: <7303@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 8-Nov-86 21:51:14 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7303
Posted: Sat Nov  8 21:51:14 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Nov-86 21:51:14 EST
References: <7254@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 16

>    As much as I agree with your sentiment (that shuttle launches should
> resume ASAP), the above makes no real sense, except perhaps politically.
> The $1G HST doesn't add significantly to the risk of losing the $2.5G
> orbiter (certainly not "ten times"!).

I was comparing payloads, not orbiters.  Any immediate resumption of
launches clearly demands a commitment to replace any further orbiter losses.
But replacing the HST would be difficult and very expensive; remember that
a new one would probably cost a good deal more than the existing one.
Replacing an orbiter could be justified in terms of strongly-supported
(well, relatively strongly-supported) things like military space activity
and the Space Station.  Replacing the HST would be harder.  Better we
should launch something we can afford to lose.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry