Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Launch capability (USA)
Message-ID: <1989May27.021934.14482@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <457@cybaswan.UUCP> <2588@shlump.dec.com>
Date: Sat, 27 May 89 02:19:34 GMT

In article <2588@shlump.dec.com> fisher@moon.dec.com writes:
>2.  Safety.  Is it worth risking two billion-dollar shuttles at the same
>time in case of a pad accident?

No problem; the two pads are spaced well apart with launch accidents
specifically in mind.  I dimly recall that simultaneous activity on
both pads happened a few times during Apollo.

>3.  Mission control.  Can two shuttles in space be dealt with at the same time?

I'd guess not.  I think there were four control rooms and corresponding
facilities elsewhere in the original plans, but I don't think more than
two were operational even during Apollo, and I'd be surprised if more
than one is shuttle-ready now.
-- 
Van Allen, adj: pertaining to  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
deadly hazards to spaceflight. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu