Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.columbia Subject: Re: Space tug - (nf) Message-ID: <3573@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 16:53:57 EST Article-I.D.: utzoo.3573 Posted: Thu Feb 23 16:53:57 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 23-Feb-84 16:53:57 EST References: <989@minn-ua.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 21 Scot Wilcoxon suggests, re a space tug to retrieve the mis-orbited satellites from the latest shuttle mission: It might depend upon whether you want a tug which will last for 10 years and can handle any job (such as the one launching in 4-5 years), or you want a tin can with a rocket nozzle and a net. Maybe someone is willing to gamble a little with some collection of spare parts which has a reasonable chance of costing less than the $50 million cost of a new satellite... The question is not whether somebody is willing to gamble on building a tin can with nozzle and net, but whether NASA is willing to gamble on launching it. One thing NASA is *not* willing to gamble with is the safety of their shuttle orbiters, and so anybody who wants to fly a rocket engine in the shuttle cargo bay has to meet very stiff safety standards. In practice, you would probably need to use a well-proven off-the-shelf propulsion system. And finding one of those that has a useful total delta-V and is restartable, several times, in space is not a trivial exercise. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry