Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!rutgers!gatech!ncsuvx!ncspm!jay
From: jay@ncspm.ncsu.edu (Jay C. Smith)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Built-in delays & 51-L meaning
Keywords: countdown delays, mission designations
Message-ID: <1314@ncspm.ncsu.edu>
Date: 4 Oct 88 15:46:18 GMT
References: <852@scubed.UUCP> <1310@ncspm.ncsu.edu>
Reply-To: jay@ncspm.ncsu.EDU (Jay C. Smith)
Organization: Crop Science Dept., North Carolina State University
Lines: 24

In article <1310@ncspm.ncsu.edu> I wrote:
>5  The year, as in 198*5*.  Yeah, that's right, it went up in '86, but it
>   was originally planned for '85.  In fact, some previous flights got out
>   of order in this respect (was the mission before 51L a 6?).

Henry Spencer got more specific than I when he pointed out that the year
represented the fiscal year in which the shuttle was funded (they begin in
October).  The three missions preceeding 51L were actually 61A, 61B, and 61C.

>My question now is:  does their internal mission
>numbering correspond to this, or do they still use another system so that 
>STS-30 won't fly before STS-29? 

No sooner had I asked this than I read a magazine article telling me that
Columbia's return to space as STS-28 is now slated to take place six week's
AFTER February's STS-29 Discovery mission.  Has something to do with concern
over the tight launch schedule for STS-30, which will be launching the Magellan
probe.

-- 
"I don't suppose you have any idea what the damn thing is, huh?"
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Jay C. Smith                      uucp:     ...!mcnc!ncsuvx!ncspm!jay
Domain: jay@ncspm.ncsu.edu        internet: jay%ncspm@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu