Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ncis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!ucbvax!decwrl!decwin.dec.com!fisher
From: fisher@decwin.dec.com (VMS DECwindows Engineering)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: RE: Shuttle trips to the moon
Message-ID: <8901191901.AA29239@decwrl.dec.com>
Date: 19 Jan 89 20:36:00 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 38

>stands.  From what I remember of the Apollo shots, the round trip took between
>two and three weeks.  This I believe is about twice as long as a shuttle
>can stay up (being some 7 or 8 days).  Hence if they went, they couldn't
>get back because the Shuttle would have had to return to Earth because
>of shortage of power and other supplies.  NASA are also nowhere near
>up to the turn-around required to launch a second shuttle in time to
>pick up the returning crew.

>Bevis King, Systems Programmer        |   Email:  brwk@doc.ic.ac.uk

It's more like 3 days each way.  Plus as long as we are speculating anyway,
additional power/consumable modules are under discussion/development to
extend the shuttle's stay in orbit.

>  I realize there is only one active launch pad (?), one VAB, etc., but which
>  of these causes the longest delay ?  If NASA was going to build A new 
>  building, which would most significantly reduce the turnaround time ?

Actually, both 39A and B have been used.  STS-1 through 24 used 39A.  STS-25
(yeah, yeah, I know, it was 51L) was the first to use pad 39B.  It was seldom
mentioned; I'm surprised that the media did not try to make the new pad the
cause of the accident.  STS-26 and 27 both used 39B.  I saw something in
AWST about A not being used for the time being, but I don't think it is 
permanent.

And BTW, the VAB has several bays for processing shuttles.  I don't think that
is the turnaround time problem.  Especially since the shuttle only stays in
the VAB for a couple weeks.  I think it is on the pad longer than it is in the
VAB (depending on whether you count the ET/SRB stack before the orbiter is 
mated).

I suspect the real problems involved with quick turnaround is PERSON POWER.

(If you really want international cooperation, let them be launched by the
US Shuttle, and picked up by Buran.  (Reminds me of the "trust" games that
get played at outward bound etc)

Burns (fisher@decwin.DEC.COM)