Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!mit-eddie!jg From: jg@mit-eddie.UUCP (Jim Gettys) Newsgroups: net.columbia Subject: Re: Launch Aborted Message-ID: <4690@mit-eddie.UUCP> Date: Sun, 14-Jul-85 11:59:07 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.4690 Posted: Sun Jul 14 11:59:07 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 04:34:27 EDT References: <3987@alice.UUCP> Reply-To: jg@mit-eddie.UUCP (Jim Gettys) Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA Lines: 26 Keywords: Shuttle, Challenger, Launch I was at JSC for the attempted launch of Spacelab 2 Friday. (I worked on the Infrared Telescope that will fly on it five years ago...). The word was in a meeting to discuss the impact on various experiments on SL2 that another attempt would be no earlier than July 30. This was given as a "first guess" rather than as gospel; meetings yesterday were to firm up the estimate. This would put launch at full moon, which is the least desirable time for two or three experiments on board. Any slip beyond this date will again improve the situation. The concensus of all of the experimenters was to "go" as soon as Challenger is ready, even if it hurts some of the experiments. A good reason for this feeling is the effort required to get every thing ready for flight is large, and the longer the payload sits, the more trouble people will have with their experiments. There are more and more things which must be serviced the longer the payload sits on the ground. This delay should allow the repair of experiment 13 (Super Fluid Helium), which had a vacuum pump failure a couple days before the launch attempt. This failure caused some pump oil to be spilled in the payload bay. This caused KSC to have to turn off the pump, allowing the LHe to go normal, which would have cause at least half of the helium to be lost when reconverted on orbit (if successful...). Jim Gettys Project Athena jg@mit-athena.arpa