Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Soviet shuttle
Message-ID: <1988Oct6.173603.29744@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1988Oct1.224801.11041@utzoo.uucp> <1109@cfa237.cfa250.harvard.edu> <6798@dasys1.UUCP> <7054@ihlpl.ATT.COM>
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 88 17:36:03 GMT

In article <7054@ihlpl.ATT.COM> knudsen@ihlpl.ATT.COM (Knudsen) writes:
>Since the Soviet orbiter contains no main engines, I wonder
>why they didn't stick it axially on top of the central Energia,
>like a 2nd stage with wings?  ...

Putting a winged body on top of a tall thin booster can create some nasty
bending loads.  Not impossible, but tricky.  It also has some practical
disadvantages like needing a higher tower.  It's the sort of situation
where one would want to study the tradeoffs carefully, I'd think.
-- 
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