Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!ucbvax!pasteur!ames!necntc!mirror!rayssd!ukma!psuvm.bitnet!cunyvm.bitnet!wylbb
From: WYLBB@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Michael Linn)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Space Shuttle Poster (STS Trivia)
Message-ID: <1513WYLBB@CUNYVM>
Date: 16 Aug 88 15:54:35 GMT
Organization: The City University of New York - New York, NY
Lines: 31
DISCLAIMER: All opinions, unless quoted, are my own.

In response to:

>   Hi. I am trying to trace a certain poster that I have hanging on
>my wall. It's a night time shot of a Shuttle on the launch pad. I
>guess u would call it a frontal shot (as opposed to side shots or
>top down views). The only noticeable oddity is the WHITE fuel tank,
>the shot is tilted so i can see more of the rightside of the shuttle
>(i can read the NASA and USA markings), but the left side is obscured.
>   Other clues: writing on the poster
>     Verkerke Poster/6402/Space Shuttle/Photo : Ken Sherman - Bruce
>Coleman/Verkerke Copyright & Licensing GMBM 1983/..../Printed in the
>Netherlands.
>   If anyone can tell me what shuttle flight this is, could you please
>drop a note to me?

Since the copywrite date is 1983, it must be either the Enterprise,
Columbia or Challenger. (Discovery didn't make its debut until 1984).

The exact shape and location of the black trim in front of the cockpit
and at the apex area of the wings is slightly different for each
orbiter vehicle, and can thus help to identify it.

A white external fuel tank was used with the Enterprise and also
the first two missions of Columbia. I don't remember whether
STS-8 (Challenger) ir STS-9 (Columbia) had white tanks, although
probably not. I do know that STS-3 through STS-7 had the
more familiar rust/orange tank.

So, without the poster in front of me, I'd say it's either
the Enterprise or one of the first two flights of Columbia
(STS-1 or STS-2).