Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Long duration shuttle?
Message-ID: <1988Dec14.182805.1371@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <6394@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 88 18:28:05 GMT

In article <6394@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> rcj@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Robert Johnson) writes:
>...Is there any way to load the shuttle up with a lab
>module and more stores than usual and have it sit up there for 90 days or so?

It's possible in principle.  The existing orbiters are limited to about
ten days.  The long-duration modifications to Columbia that are in the works
will stretch its stay time to a maximum of something like a month, as I
recall (although its early long-duration flights won't be that long).
Three months would require more work but ought to be possible.

>Maybe even have a docking port in the bay as well and dock onto a supply
>of food shot up with an expendable?  That way we could get some good experiance
>in long (sort of) duration space flight...

Ought to be workable, although again it means building more hardware.
It would probably cost a billion dollars by the time NASA got through
with it, sigh...
-- 
SunOSish, adj:  requiring      |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
32-bit bug numbers.            | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
