Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!think!husc6!m2c!wpi!tmurphy
From: tmurphy@wpi.wpi.edu (Tom [Chris] Murphy)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Why 3 SSME's?
Message-ID: <4337@wpi.wpi.edu>
Date: 28 Sep 89 17:07:10 GMT
References: <24@loop.UUCP> <1979@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Reply-To: tmurphy@wpi.wpi.edu (Tom [Chris] Murphy)
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute CAD Lab
Lines: 20

In article <1979@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccsupos@prism.gatech.EDU (SCHREIBER, O. A.) writes:
>In article <24@loop.UUCP> keithl@loop.UUCP (Keith Lofstrom) writes:
> ---
>albeit in the form of escape towers. It seems to me that you don't
>just design a manned space vehicle by being satisfied with a
>percentage of catastrophic failure low enough, you ought to
>supply a backup escape system at least in the most traumatic 
>sequence of flight (vertical ascent).

It seems to me that manned aircraft are designed exactly like this, by
keeping a failure rate low.  Perhaps this is a bad approach, but if it's
good enough for commercial aircraft, it should be valid for spacecraft as
well.

Thomas C. Murphy                  Worcester Polytechnic Institute CAD Lab
         Internet:   tmurphy@wpi.wpi.edu   tmurphy@zaphod.wpi.edu     
             BITNET:     TMURPHY@WPI           BIX:  tmurphy                   
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If the Universe is constantly expanding, why can't I ever find a parking space?