Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!tank!ncar!ames!elroy!jpl-devvax!jplpro!leem
From: leem@jplpro.JPL.NASA.GOV (Lee Mellinger)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Soviet and American Shuttles
Message-ID: <3046@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 13 Oct 88 20:19:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: jpl-devv.3046
References: <1574@nunki.usc.edu> <3020@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> <1605@nunki.usc.edu>
Sender: news@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV
Reply-To: leem@jplpro.JPL.NASA.GOV (Lee Mellinger)
Distribution: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA.
Lines: 76

In article <1605@nunki.usc.edu> birenboi@sal18.usc.edu (Aaron Birenboim) writes:
|In article <3020@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> david@beowulf.JPL.NASA.GOV (David Smyth) writes:
|>In article <1574@nunki.usc.edu> birenboi@sal6.usc.edu (Aaron Birenboim) writes:
|>>
|
|The shuttle already has Flight control hardware, and a lot of hardware
|for rocket engines.  I am but a student, but I think that whatever
|hardware that is necessary for the shuttle's rockets is larger
|that whatever jet engine is needed to power the Shuttlesky.  Unfortunately,
|I cannot quote documents other than word of mouth of an ex director
                                                         ^^^^^^^^^^^ 
|of JPL Deep Space Network.  What have you seen that shows no Air intake?
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|One photo which may have been re-touched is inconclusive.  
|Who knows, they may even have covers for the air intake durring launch.
|
|>
|
|Can this be said of Shuttlesky also, without much knowledge of their
|design details?  Does anybody have some estimates of the mass of
|Shuttlesky?
|If Shuttlesky can "fly" it would handle much better, although
|the shape of Shuttlesky may raise some doubt.
|
|>4) I doubt that jet engines poweful enough to get that turkey flying
|>would weigh less than the SSMEs.
|
|Do people who have worked with these systems think this is a valid accessment?
|
|>Conclusion:  I think we will find that the soviet shuttle has only
|>OMS and RCS rockets, no other form of propulsion.  That does make it
|>simpler.  And, I'll bet a donut that it will fly with IBM 370s in
|>the racks, executing HAL/S software, just like ours.  JUST like
|>ours.
|
|They STARTED development quite a while after us.  I expect that their
|computers, if nothing else, would be ahead of ours.
|
|Is there anybody else who has heard of Jets on the Shuttlesky?
|(flames welcome)
|
|Aaron "The Lumberjack" Birenboim|"In the begining, the Universe was created...
|                                | This made a lot of people angry, and was
|         GO TROJANS!!           | widely reguarded as a bad move."
| birenboi@castor.usc.edu        |   -Douglass Adams  _The Guide_

I have worked at JPL for 13 years, 10 of those in the DSN, there is
and has not been a "director" of the DSN.  The closest that comes to
that is the Assistant Laboratory Director for the Office of Tracking
and Data Acquisition, which is the office that provides funding and
technical direction for the DSN.  There have been only two ALD's for
TDA prior to the current occupant of that office, and one of those is
deceased, the other is the current JPL Deputy Director. I am,
therefore not convined of the worth of the statements that this person
you talked to, made.

Aviation Week has shown pictures of the Soviet Shuttle and made the
point that the wing planform, the vertical stabliser, the shape and
placement of the cockpit and overhead windows are all apparently
identical with the US shuttle.  In addition, they (the Soviets) have
used insulating blocks on the skin that appear the be very much like
the insulation on the shuttle.  All in all, an excellent job of
technology tranfer.

Aviation Week also reported that there were jet engines installed for
flight tests as others in the newsgroup have indicated.

Lee

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|Lee F. Mellinger                         Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA|
|4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 818/393-0516  FTS 977-0516      |
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