Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-ses!hpcuhb!hpsel1!campbelr
From: campbelr@hpsel1.HP.COM (Bob Campbell)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: QUESTION: Shuttle round trips to the moon?
Message-ID: <17360001@hpsel1.HP.COM>
Date: 10 Jan 89 21:57:21 GMT
References: <14549@oberon.USC.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 22

> Can the shuttle fly to the moon, land, and take off again to return
> to the earth.  Keep in mind the moon has 1/6 the gravitational pull
> of the earth.  Let's assume for the moment that there is adequate
> solid flat landing surface prepared on the moon for the landing.
----------

In a word, no.

The modifications required to do that would leave you with something
that is no longer a shuttle.  The shuttle is designed to only go up
to low earth orbit, and once there it has no fuel for the main engines.
Assuming an Amoco station with LH2/LOX and tankage is on the moon, the
problem still exists that the shuttle is designed for vertical takeoff.
A "runway" takeoff is difficult as wings do not do much without air.
If a launch complex also exists, the shuttle has limited life support . . .

The "best" design is still to use multiple vehicles designed for specific
tasks.

Bob Campbell                Some times I wish that I could stop you from 
campbelr@hpda.hp.com        talking, when I hear the silly things you say.
Hewlett Packard                                    - Elvis Costello