[FPSPACE] BBC Horizon "Guide to the Space Shuttle"...could theColumbia have been saved?

[James E Oberg]

A 'spacecraft' wasn't necessary, since 'Columbia' retained full maneuver and EVA capability. Even a dumpster full of consumables, with a grapple fixture bolted on its side -- maybe 12 hours of work -- would have allowed mission-extension supplies to reach the crew, on one or even more launches over the first two weeks while the Orbiter still had electrical power.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gunter Krebs 
  To: fpspace at friends-partners.org 
  Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 5:48 PM
  Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] BBC Horizon "Guide to the Space Shuttle"...could theColumbia have been saved?


  Unfortunately this scenario was completely impossible - there was simply no spacecraft available to be launched on an Ariane towards the crippled Shuttle.



  2012/4/23 James E Oberg <jeoberg at comcast.net>

    .... a middle course would be launching life-extension supplies on an Ariane within two weeks to give time for preparing the next launch better.

    Anything wouyld have been better than doing nothing.


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