Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!hubcap!gatech!ukma!rutgers!att!whuts!homxb!antique!cjp
From: cjp@antique.UUCP (Charles Poirier)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Soviet and American Shuttles
Summary: Jets: yes and no
Message-ID: <2412@antique.UUCP>
Date: 12 Oct 88 22:36:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: antique.2412
References: <1574@nunki.usc.edu> <3020@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> <1605@nunki.usc.edu>
Reply-To: vax135!cjp (Charles Poirier)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 20

An American expert on the Soviet space program, whose name and credentials
I can't put my finger on right now, recently spoke at AT&T Bell Laboratories.
My recollection of his words of wisdom is as follows.

The Soviet shuttle is currently undergoing atmospheric test flights.  In
this configuration, it does have air-breathing jet engines.  Why?  Because
Soviet-built airplanes are less powerful than the 747 (I think?) on which we
piggybacked Enterprise for our similar testing.  They can't lift the weight
on a plane, so it is self-powered.  The space-going configuration, however,
will not have jets.

One other tidbit: the Soviet shuttle's equivalent of the SRB's will in fact
be liquid-fueled engines.  Apparently the Soviets have never developed or
used large solid fuel rockets.

	Cheers,
-- 
	Charles Poirier   (decvax,ucbvax,mcnc,attmail)!vax135!cjp

   "Docking complete...       Docking complete...       Docking complete..."