Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tank!oddjob!uwvax!rutgers!gatech!linus!jp
From: jp@linus.UUCP (Jeffrey Picciotto)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Soviet and American Shuttles
Message-ID: <40869@linus.UUCP>
Date: 12 Oct 88 11:25:50 GMT
References: <1574@nunki.usc.edu> <3020@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Reply-To: jp@linus.UUCP (Jeffrey Picciotto)
Distribution: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA
Lines: 17

David Smyth writes:

>2) How fast do you thin the shuttle needs to go to get enough lift to
>go UP?  Right now, the shuttle decends at about 100 feet per second
>throughout the re-entry: The thing does NOT fly, it drops like a brick.
>The wings just increase the manoeverability.

Is this really true?  How fast is it descending when it touches down?
Assuming a reasonably slow rate of descent, doesn't this show that the
shuttle could fly if it had useful and sufficiently powerful engines
available?

Just curious,

--jeff
{*}!linus!jp
jpicc@mitre-bedford.arpa