Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Replacement for Challenger
Message-ID: <1988Oct5.232119.15116@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <813@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM>
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 88 23:21:19 GMT

In article <813@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM> johnson@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Wayne D. T. Johnson) writes:
>Are there 2 new shuttles, the challenger replacement AND a shuttle-C (as yet
>under planning, as Henry suggests).

There is no commitment to anything but the Challenger replacement and (I
think) a new set of "structural spares"; I'm not sure whether the latter
includes the doors.  Shuttle-C would not use an orbiter fuselage at all
and hence wouldn't have payload-bay doors.  Various people, notably NRC,
have pointed out that another accident is a distinct possibility and it
would be a mistake to shut the production line down, but not much has been
done about this yet.

>This also leads me to the question, if the doors are fairly fragile, could
>one be damaged by banging a recovered satalite or shuttle-C engine pod? And
>what would be the concequense?

It's a risk.  They try to be careful about such things.  Provided it didn't
make too big a hole, the consequences might not be anything very drastic;
the doors are, after all, in a relatively low-temperature area on reentry.
Major maintenance might be needed afterward.
-- 
The meek can have the Earth;    |    Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
the rest of us have other plans.|uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu