From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!karn
Newsgroups: net.space
Title: Re: Saving the Shuttle External Tank
Article-I.D.: eagle.830
Posted: Mon Mar 14 15:49:15 1983
Received: Thu Mar 17 19:11:05 1983
References: alice.1568 uofm-cv.158 floyd.1297

Getting the external tank into a long-lived orbit might not be as easy as
many think.  Remember, even the orbit into which the orbiter puts itself
after ET separation is a very low one, typically 300 km or so.  An
object as large and light as an empty external tank would last hardly
any time at all in such an orbit.  Even moving it up to 500 km, which
would take considerable added fuel on the orbiter (perhaps an OMS kit or
two) would keep it up there for only several years at best.  It is
probably feasible to take a tank up to a stable altitude, but it would
not be "almost free" as has been suggested; it would involve the
sacrifice of considerable payload mass.

Phil