Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!oberon!neuro.usc.edu!annala
From: annala@neuro.usc.edu (A J Annala)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: QUESTION: Shuttle round trips to the moon?
Keywords: shuttle moon
Message-ID: <14596@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: 11 Jan 89 07:54:07 GMT
References: <14549@oberon.USC.EDU>
Sender: news@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: weiss%neuro.usc.edu@neuro.usc.edu (C. Weiss)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 15

In article <14549@oberon.USC.EDU> weiss%neuro.usc.edu@oberon.usc.edu writes:
>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.
>
Let's also suppose that the shuttle either carries fuel for its extra
atmospheric burns in the cargo bay ... or that it meets up with a fuel
dump placed in orbit by a heavy lift vehicle.  Let's further assume
that the shuttle uses its main engine in an attitude normal to the 
surface of the moon to slow it's descent to the lunar surface (this is
because the shuttle's wings would be ineffective in the moon's limited
"atmosphere".  Finally, let's suppose that a shock absorbing tripod of 
some kind can be extended from the shuttle's body to stabilize it's 
attitude once in contact with the lunar surface.