Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!dasys1!tneff
From: tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Challenger tragedy
Keywords: not the explosion but the 3 year delay
Message-ID: <5827@dasys1.UUCP>
Date: 31 Jul 88 18:16:34 GMT
References: <1001@scicom.alphacdc.com>
Reply-To: tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff)
Organization: Independent Users Guild
Lines: 21

In article <1001@scicom.alphacdc.com> wats@scicom.alphacdc.com (Bruce Watson) writes:
>
>Now that we are about to launch the shuttle after a nearly 3 year del`ay,
>I was prompted to find out the length of the Apollo fire delay.  It was
>almost 2 years.  

Not really.  AS-204 was on track for a late Feburary liftoff when it
burned up in the plugs-out test on 1/27/67, killing the crew.  AS-205
was to go up a few months later, and several unmanned missions to rate
the Saturn V, LEM etc. were to follow.  In fact AS-205 flew (as Apollo
4, with Schirra, Cunningham, and Eisele) in 10/68 -- perhaps an 18
month delay overall -- and the unmanned missions flew in 1967 as
planned.  In effect, priorities were rearranged to keep the Kennedy
target (moon landing in '69) on track, while safety changes were made
to the Block II manned hardware.  Unfortunately the nature of the STS
program afforded no such luxuries after the Challenger disaster --
restarting an "operational" program is a different kettle of fish.
-- 
Tom Neff			UUCP: ...!cmcl2!phri!dasys1!tneff
	"None of your toys	CIS: 76556,2536	       MCI: TNEFF
	 will function..."	GEnie: TOMNEFF	       BIX: t.neff (no kidding)