Author Topic: Proposals to build more orbiters  (Read 4851 times)

Offline CFE

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Proposals to build more orbiters
« on: 08/25/2007 11:55 pm »
I was wondering about the details of various proposals over the years to build more shuttle orbiters.  The building of Endeavour has been discussed at length, but there are plenty of proposals that went for naught.  I recall Sen. Kit Bond calling for more orbiters back in 2001, but I don't recall his rationale for wanting more.  Boeing proposed building a replacement for Columbia in Spring-Summer 2003, but I don't know how serious they really were.

At what point was it decided that NASA would get four orbiters?  I assume that the agency had hoped for even more orbiters during the 70's, and budget realities capped those dreams at four production examples (including the one that was supposed to be the converted Enterprise, but later replaced by STA-099/Challenger.)
"Black Zones" never stopped NASA from flying the shuttle.

Offline stefan1138

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #1 on: 08/26/2007 03:27 pm »
Hi CFE,

as I have been looking for the same info you have requested I am curios to know more about the proposal of Sen. Kit Bond? Where did he state that more Orbiters were needed? How much influence did he have?

Pls see also the following thread which I started:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9135&posts=63&start=1

Thx Stefan :)

Offline mdmcgrory

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RE: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #2 on: 09/25/2007 06:33 pm »
Quote
CFE - 25/8/2007  7:55 PMAt what point was it decided that NASA would get four orbiters?  I assume that the agency had hoped for even more orbiters during the 70's, and budget realities capped those dreams at four production examples (including the one that was supposed to be the converted Enterprise, but later replaced by STA-099/Challenger.)
In James Baker's massive "History of Manned Space Flight" there is a quote that Administrator James Fletcher asked Nixon for only four shuttles, just because he didn't think Nixon would go for more.
Let's not celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lunar Landing in a conference room on Earth!

Offline stefan1138

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #3 on: 03/30/2008 02:47 pm »
I read that one of the (many) options studied in the 1993/1994 access to space study was a fleet of new build shuttle orbiters with many weaknesses of the older ones eliminated (i.e. non toxic propellants, new avionics etc.)

Offline Archibald

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #4 on: 03/30/2008 06:16 pm »
Don't forget private firms Spacetran and Astrotech which wanted to finance building of a fifth orbiter in the early 80's. Spacetran CEO was Klauss Heiss, the man of Mathematica' shuttle study around 1971...
Han shot first and Gwynne Shotwell !

Offline stefan1138

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #5 on: 03/30/2008 07:46 pm »
Furthermore former NASA Administrator and ex Astronaut Richard Truly wanted a fifh Orbiter approximately 1990/91.

Offline Steve G

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #6 on: 04/03/2008 10:23 pm »
I recall seeing a drawing shortly after the Challenger accident of a second generation orbiter with a separate lifting body spacecraft incorporated into the crew module that could detach from the rest of the orbiter in case of emergency.


Offline apollolanding

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #7 on: 04/06/2008 07:46 pm »

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Steve G - 3/4/2008 6:23 PM I recall seeing a drawing shortly after the Challenger accident of a second generation orbiter with a separate lifting body spacecraft incorporated into the crew module that could detach from the rest of the orbiter in case of emergency.

I remember this as well.  May have been in Popular Mechanics but I distictly remember reading about it in the mid-late 80s in my high school library.  IIRC it would have cost hundreds of millions of dollars if not billions to refit the orbiters and even then you would have had a nose heavy orbiter that would have suffered a payload penalty.  The as built/flown RSRBs would probably have had to be switched to FWC along with going to the SLWT.  (I know the SLWT and FWC were never intended to be paired just hypothesizing on what coulda been)   

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Offline wingod

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #8 on: 04/06/2008 08:28 pm »
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Archibald - 30/3/2008  1:16 PM

Don't forget private firms Spacetran and Astrotech which wanted to finance building of a fifth orbiter in the early 80's. Spacetran CEO was Klauss Heiss, the man of Mathematica' shuttle study around 1971...

For those who do not know, Klauss with not be with us much longer as he has terminal cancer.



Offline Patchouli

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Re: Proposals to build more orbiters
« Reply #9 on: 04/06/2008 09:21 pm »
I heard of Boeing offering to build the OV-200 series shortly after the cancellation of the X33.

It included replacing the SRBs with lox kerosene flyback boosters and some designs were of a lifting body but others appeared similar to the old Rockwell orbiter with extensive modifications.

They considered using the X33s metallic TPS eliminating a safety and cost issue.

One proposed modification was the detachable crew cabin while some artwork showed escape pods like Hermes.

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