Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ncar!noao!asuvax!enuxha!kluksdah
From: kluksdah@enuxha.UUCP (Norman C. Kluksdahl)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Soviet and American Shuttles
Summary: soviet shuttle testing
Message-ID: <147@enuxha.UUCP>
Date: 12 Oct 88 17:23:54 GMT
References: <1574@nunki.usc.edu> <3020@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> <709@calvin.EE.CORNELL.EDU>
Distribution: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space
Organization: Arizona State Univ, Tempe
Lines: 20

In article <709@calvin.EE.CORNELL.EDU>, chuck@calvin.EE.CORNELL.EDU (Chuck Swenson) writes:
> 
stuff deleted

> 	It seems I heard they had jets on it for testing only and they
> had been removed for flight. They did not use a 747 to haul it up for
> atmospheric testing and landings but actually did runway takeoff. I
> think this came from Aviation Week a couple months ago, but then I
> have a poor memory and it might all be fiction.
> 
One of the first photographs of the soviet shuttle was taken by a recon
satellite, after the Bear carrier plane ended up stuck on the side of the
runway after missing a taxiway (apparently).  Speculation at that point
was that the Soviet shuttle would be tested in much the same manner as
the US shuttle--i.e. air launching from a carrier plane.  (this was a
while ago, BTW.  I think it was in AvWeek, but i'm not sure.)

N. Kluksdahl

standard disclaimer implied.