Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!ndcheg!stu
From: stu@ndcheg.cheg.nd.edu (Stuart Harvey on ndcheg)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Shuttle from Vandenberg
Summary: Enterprise was Earthbound from the start
Message-ID: <633@ndcheg.cheg.nd.edu>
Date: 18 Feb 89 07:29:15 GMT
References: <919@cs.rit.edu> <1989Feb11.234744.20258@utzoo.uucp> <2481@phred.UUCP> <1989Feb17.164009.3238@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: Dep't of Chemical Eng., Univ. of Notre Dame
Lines: 35

In article <1989Feb17.164009.3238@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
> In article <QXycoxy00VQD1FwUYy@andrew.cmu.edu> pv04+@andrew.cmu.edu (Philip Verdieck) writes:
> >I was under the impression that Enterprise was a mockup as well,
> >a nice piece of propaganda to satisfy the huge mail-in to name a
> >shuttle "Enterprise".  Either my memory fails me, or it was Columbia that
> >sis the actual glide tests, from on top of the 747.....
> 
> I fear your memory fails you:  Enterprise flew the glide tests, and it was
> definitely meant to be a spaceworthy orbiter at the time it was built.
> There has been some speculation about ulterior motives behind its retirement,
> although I'm skeptical about this.

I fear memory fails you both.  I am rather familiar with the shuttle program
through my father who is a resident NASA engineer at the RI Downey, CA plant.
The "approach and landing vehical" was the Enterprise.  It was named such
because of a huge write in campaign from Trekkies who wanted the first shuttle
to be named after the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek fame.  The Enterprise
however, was never intended as an orbital vehical.  It had a heavier structure
that any of the other shuttles and was built simply as a test vehical.  It is 
ironic, and has been from the start, that the shuttle that the Star Trek fans
pushed so hard to be name "Enterprise" is and will forever be earthbound.

A side note about 099, the reason this vehical has the designation 099 instead
of 105 is that NASA in an effort to appear frugal to Congress preferred to 
number the vehical using the designation of the airframe used in the vibration
test.  The original numbering sequence for airframe test structures starts in
the low to mid 090's.  The original plan was for test structures to be numbered
below 100, the approach and landing vehical to be given the number 100, and
all space worthy craft to be numbered sequentially from 101.  NASA has kept
with this except for the slight of hand with 099 which is +90% new components
on a recycled airframe.


Stuart Harvey
Stu@ndcheg.cheg.nd.edu