Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: In Space Docking
Message-ID: <1990Feb1.171345.15800@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <10556.1192.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu>
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 90 17:13:45 GMT

In article <10556.1192.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu> Greg_d._Moore@mts.rpi.edu (Commander Krugannal) writes:
>      Well, how about launching the booster after the satellite is
>   in orbit? Wasn't Agena-Gemina done this way?

No, the Agena targets always went up before the Geminis.  This makes a
certain amount of sense when you think about it -- the unmanned targets
were in a better position to loiter around for a few days if there were
unexpected launch delays for the manned part.  The same situation applies
here, assuming that the payload goes up on a shuttle flight so that the
docking can be flown manually.

>      Someone mentioned developing a OMV. Check out the October
>   issue of Final Frontier from last year. They have an article
>   called"The Remarkable Flying Pancake"   This discusses the OMV.

Unfortunately, the OMV in question is not up to big jobs like moving
the HST to and from Clarke orbit.  The original Space Tug was a different
story, but *that* died long ago.
-- 
1972: Saturn V #15 flight-ready|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
1990: birds nesting in engines | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu