[FPSPACE] Death in space

[Phillip Clark]

On Thu, 21 Sep 2000, David Anderman wrote:
> Despite a brief incident in which the service module almost separated from 
> the descent module while still in orbit, the TM 5 crew was not quite in 
> such grave danger as Mr. Clark asserts. The principle issue the crew faced 
> was a balky ion detector that degraded the automatic retrofire system. 
> There was, of course, always the option to perform a manual re-entry.

Whilst we now know what the problem was, this was not clear at the time
that this took place in 1988.

And I stand by my statement: if the retros failed to fire the crew was
dead without a chance of rescue.   That is the same on any piloted mission
- those engines have to burn for a safe re-entry.

Phillip Clark

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Phillip S Clark                                     22 Winterbourne Close
Molniya Space Consultancy                           Hastings
Compiler/Publisher, Worldwide Satellite Launches    E Sussex  TN34 1XG
                                                    U.K.

Specialist in "space archeology" - the older and more obscure the more 
interesting it is !
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