Conference 7.286::space

   
    I agree with your assement Les. Columbia has always seemed to have
    some reason why it wasn't flying. Wasn't it right after Challanger
    became operational that it went in for a year for overhaul where
    they removed the ejection seats etc. Since then it seems that Columbia
    has had one thing or another going on with it to not be flying.
    My question shuttle-related is: why aren't we making either more
    of the latest design or why aren't we working on a followon version
    of the shuttle? I mean 4 shuttles can't last forever.
    
    Fred Mudgett
    
    

    Being the least capable of the shuttles, Columbia tends to get
    cannibalised for parts when they are needed. That is its current
    status; parts that were needed to get Discovery and Atlantis flying
    were removed from Columbia and it is awaiting the replacement parts. I
    think they plan to have it flying later this year.
    
    gary

    Though we speak from perceptions and not from data, the observations
    appear that we have a shuttle fleet of 2 and one "hangar queen".
    The schedule looks as if Discovery will hit 10 flights before years
    end.  How many fights are left in Discovery before it is "old"?
    
    Just some thoughts before EOD.  (End Of Day)
    
    Les
    

    re .3
    
    >Though we speak from perceptions and not from data, the observations
    
    My comments were paraphrased from the STS-29 press briefing. Ok, so it
    was NASA management, but its close to 'data' :-)
    
    gary

From: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 89 19:11:37 -0700
Subject: NSS Hotline Update
 
    /* Written  6:36 pm  Aug  3, 1989 by jordankatz in cdp:sci.space */
    /* ---------- "NSS Hotline Update" ---------- */
 
    This is the National Space Society's Space Hotline updated August 1.
 
    The scheduled launch of the DoD STS-28 mission of the Shuttle
COLUMBIA is set for Tuesday, August 8.  Testing continues on systems
for the launch and the top secret cargo, which the NSS has learned
will be another in the Lacrosse reconnaissance satellite series.  The
mobile cargo canister which carried the mission's payload out to pad
39B was the same as that used for a previous DoD mission in which a
Lacrosse was placed in orbit.  The STS-28 crew will arrive at the Cape
on Saturday afternoon. 
 
    This has been the National Space Society's Space Hotline for the
week of July 31. 
 

I didn't feel like creating a new topic, so this fits here.

 
Mark Hess
Headquarters, Washington, DC         April 12, 1995
(Phone: 202/358-1778)
 
Rob Navias
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 713/483-5111)
 
Lisa Malone
Kennedy Space Center, FL
(Phone: 407/867-2468)
 
Alan Buis
Rockwell Space Systems Division, Downey, CA
(Phone: 310/922-1856)
 
 
RELEASE:  95-49
 
COLUMBIA COMPLETES MAINTENANCE PERIOD
 
     The Space Shuttle Columbia, the oldest Space Shuttle in NASA's four-
Orbiter fleet, rolled out of Rockwell's modification center, Palmdale, 
CA, this week completing a six-month Orbiter maintenance period.
 
    Today, on the 14th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle launch, the 
747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, with the 100-ton reusable spaceplane bolted 
on top, is at Ellington Field, near the Johnson Space Center, Houston, en 
route to the Kennedy Space Center, FL, to be readied for its 18th 
mission, currently set for September.
 
     Astronaut John Young, a veteran pilot who flew Gemini, Apollo and 
Space Shuttle missions, commanded the STS-1 flight.  Rookie astronaut 
Robert Crippen, who would go on to command three flights on the Space 
Shuttle and take over the reins of the program as its director, was the 
pilot on that first flight.
 
     Columbia arrived in Palmdale for its third modification and 
inspection period in October 1994.  Maintenance periods are conducted on 
each Orbiter every three years.  Previous inspection/modification periods 
were conducted in 1984-85 and 1991-92. 
 
     While in Palmdale, more than 66 improvements and modifications were 
made to Columbia.  The enhancements were to improve performance, meet 
mission requirements or reduce turnaround time.  Included were wiring 
changes to allow Shuttle crews to monitor downlink data on laptop 
computers, installing filters in hydrogen flow control valves to reduce 
the potential for contamination, and corrosion control measures.
 
     Engineers also performed a structural inspection on Columbia.  
Nearly 488 nondestructive and visual inspections, using boroscopes, 
ultrasonic devices, eddy currents and X-rays were performed.  These 
inspections showed Columbia to be in excellent condition, and fully 
capable of meeting its 100-mission lifetime requirement. 
 
     Rockwell completed construction of Columbia in March 1979.  Its 17 
missions to date have accumulated more than 62 million miles and over 
2,300 orbits. 
                                   -end-
 
NASA press releases and other information are available automatically by 
sending an Internet electronic mail message to [email protected].  In the 
body of the message (not the subject line) users should type the words 
"subscribe press-release" (no quotes).  The system will reply with a 
confirmation via E-mail of each subscription.  A second automatic message 
will include additional information on the service.  Questions should be 
directed to (202) 358-4043.
 
 
 
Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) Facts
 
 
Columbia became the first Space Shuttle to fly into Earth orbit when it 
rocketed Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen into space on 
April 12, 1981.
 
Columbia's first mission lasted 54 hours, 20 minutes and 32 seconds 
during which time the world's first reusable spaceplane circled the globe 
36 times and traveled over 1 million miles. 
 
Columbia has made 17 missions into orbit, including the four-flight 
Orbital Flight Test program.  Columbia deployed the first commercial 
communications satellites launched from the Shuttle and carried up the 
first flight of the European-built Spacelab laboratory module. 
 
Columbia's next mission will be STS-73, a planned 16-day mission carrying 
the second United States Microgravity Laboratory. Launch is planned for 
September.
 
Miles Flown		62,894,846
Astronauts Flown	88 (including 3 from Germany, 1 from 
                            Japan and 1 from Canada)
Satellites Deployed	4 (SBS, Telesat, Lageos, Satcom KU)
Satellites Retrieved	1 (LDEF)
 
 
Flights of Columbia (OV-102)
 
 
    Flt.     Crew             Launch        Landing          Payload
                             Date/Pad      Date/Site
 
 
1. STS-1  Young, Crippen    4/12/81         4/14/81               DFI
                           39A             Edwards AFB
 
2. STS-2  Engle, Truly     11/12/81        11/14/81            OSTA-1
                           39A             Edwards AFB
 
3. STS-3 Lousma, Fullerton   3/22/82       3/30/82              OSS-1
                             39A           White Sands, NM
 
4. STS-4 Mattingly,Hartsfield 6/27/82    7/4/82DoD 82-1
                              39A           Edwards AFB
 
5. STS-5 Brand, Overmyer     11/11/82     11/16/82               SBS-C
         Lenoir, Allen       39A          Edwards AFB            Anik C-3
 
6. 51-C  Gibson, Bolden      1/12/83       1/18/83            Satcom Ku 1
         Chang-Diaz, Hawley  39A           Edwards AFB
 
7. STS-9 Young, Shaw, Parker 11/28/83      12/8/83             Spacelab 
         Garriott, Merbold   39A           Edwards AFB
         Lichtenberg
 
8. STS-28 Shaw, Richards     8/8/89        8/13/89               DoD
          Leestma, Adamson   39B           Edwards AFB
          Brown
 
9.STS-32  Brandenstein,      1/9/90        1/20/90           Syncom IV-5
          Wetherbee, Dunbar  39A           Edwards AFB      LDEF retrieve
          Ivins, Low
 
10.STS-35  Brand, Gardner,   12/2/90       12/10/90            Astro-1
           Lounge, Hoffman   39B            Edwards AFB
           Parker, Parise
	
11.STS-40  O'Connor,         6/5/91         6/14/91             SLS-1
          Gutierrez, Jernigan,39B          Edwards AFB
          Seddon, Bagian
 
12.STS-50  Richards, Bowersox 6/25/92      7/9/92                USML-1
           Dunbar, Baker,     39A           KSC
           Meade, DeLucas, Trinh
 
13.STS-52  Wetherbee, Baker  10/22/92      11/1/92            Lageos II
           Veach, Jernigan    39B          KSC                USMP-1
           Shepherd, MacLean
 
14.STS-55  Nagel, Hendricks  4/26/93       5/6/93           Spacelab D2
           Ross, Precourt    39A           KSC
           Harris, Walter, Schlegel
 
15.STS-58  Blaha, Searfoss,  10/18/93      11/1/93              SLS-2
           Seddon, McArthur  39B           Edwards AFB
           Wolf, Lucid, Fettman
 
16.STS-62  Casper, Allen, Thuot 3/4/94      3/18/94              OAST-2
           Geman, Ivins         39B          KSC                  USMP-2
 
17.STS-65  Cabana, Halsell, Hieb 7/8/94      7/23/94              IML-2
           Walz, Chiao, Thomas   39A          KSC
           Mukai