Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: SRB shipping
Message-ID: <1988Oct14.171107.1946@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <6689@nsc.nsc.com> <1543@hp-sdd.HP.COM> <5485@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <16665@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <528@sactoh0.UUCP> <1621@nunki.usc.edu>
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 88 17:11:07 GMT

In article <1621@nunki.usc.edu> birenboi@sal15.usc.edu (Aaron Birenboim) writes:
>... The only drawback to this is if you have
>a tight turn in a narrow tunnel, the SRB will scrape the walls.

It goes farther than tunnels, unfortunately.  There is a specific standard
for how wide a loaded railcar can be, and things like signal lights and
electrical boxes are often found just beyond that.  Even on curves.  Any
long, inflexible load that has to (so to speak) go across corners rather
than around them is going to be in big trouble very quickly.  Won't work.

In hindsight, the standard railroad gauge, car size, etc. is definitely
a bit on the small side.  It is much too late to do anything about it,
on this planet at least.
-- 
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