Chris Bergin - 14/11/2005 8:53 AMI believe Orbiters get 'very ill' if they stay out in space for more than about a month.
CuddlyRocket - 14/11/2005 1:08 PM There are some proposals to take on power from the ISS to extend this by a bit
Chris Bergin - 14/11/2005 2:18 PMQuoteCuddlyRocket - 14/11/2005 1:08 PM There are some proposals to take on power from the ISS to extend this by a bitYep, already a reality.Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS) - will be flying with Discovery on STS-121.
Spacely - 14/11/2005 4:54 PMI don't see how the Shuttle's 12-18 day mission limit would really affect a lunar mission that only lasts 6-10 days total.
Spacely - 14/11/2005 8:29 AMWould it be possible to send a Shuttle up to LEO, and then have it dock with an external fuel tank that has been sent up seperately?The shuttle could then fire its SSMEs for Lunar rendevous, and fire them again for Lunar Orbit Insertion. Once there, the Shuttle could open its payload doors and release a lunar lander.
Stardust9906 - 14/11/2005 6:01 PMAt present they can't be restarted although a redesign seems likely for the CEV launcher which would allow restarts. A bigger problem with Spacely's idea would be attaching the Orbiter to the second fuel tank which I don't think would be possible.
darkenfast - 15/11/2005 4:54 AMNeither the CEV launcher nor the SDLV will have SSME's re-start (as far as I know). The CEV launcher won't need it for missions to LEO, and the SDLV will use the J-2S for the upper stage, which will have re-start capability.
Stardust9906 - 15/11/2005 1:18 PMQuotedarkenfast - 15/11/2005 4:54 AMNeither the CEV launcher nor the SDLV will have SSME's re-start (as far as I know). The CEV launcher won't need it for missions to LEO, and the SDLV will use the J-2S for the upper stage, which will have re-start capability.I'm no expert on orbital mechanics but from what I understand the second stage will need to burn a second time to achieve a stable orbit.There's a diagram at http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=310&start=1Granted this is using the J2 engine so things may have changed for the SSME.