Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!nrl-cmf!mailrus!ukma!husc6!rice!titan!phil
From: phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: TDRS-C means never having to say LOS?
Summary: The shuttle isn't the only thing that uses TDRS
Message-ID: <2082@kalliope.rice.edu>
Date: 31 Oct 88 19:12:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: kalliope.2082
References: <6732@dasys1.UUCP> <1934@kalliope.rice.edu> <233@vuecon.econ.vu.nl>
Sender: usenet@rice.edu
Reply-To: phil@Rice.edu (William LeFebvre)
Organization: Rice University, Houston
Lines: 20

In article <233@vuecon.econ.vu.nl> MorsinAc@econ.vu.nl (Triple A) writes:
>That was about it for TDRS-C/D, but when checking the launch schedule,
>I discovered they planned to get some more TDRS's up there (TDRS-E/F).
>So my question is, what are they supposed to do if we already got two
>fully operational ones (and a spare) up there? Are they to replace the
>old ones or what?

Well, TDRS is used by more than just the shuttle.  It is a (more or less)
general purpose data relay satellite for equipment that needs such
relaying.  My understanding is that E and F are going to be put up for
several reasons, including extra throughput (for users other than the
shuttle) and extra redundancy.  A is pretty much shot at this point.  I
have heard that in at least some of the hardware all redundancy has been
lost.  I don't know what they'll do with it in the long term, especially
if it loses all functionality.  I also don't know where they are going to
put E and F.

			William LeFebvre
			Department of Computer Science
			Rice University
			<phil@Rice.edu>