🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1gvkjlINN7c@mirror.digex.com> prb@access.digex.com (Pat) writes:
>In article <7gm27s@rpi.edu> strider@clotho.acm.rpi.edu (Greg Moore) writes:
>>
>>	Given a figure of $500 Million a flight, useful work can be:
>>10 hours/day * 6 astronauts * 5 days = 300 hours.  Divide this into the
>>above number nd you get $1.6 Million.  If this is a EDO flight of 10
>>days, your on-orbit costs drop in half.  So, I'd assume that 
>>
>
>
>I think your number is a tad optimistic.  I think the shuttle suits
>are only good for 4-5 Hours, before a recharge is done.  
>Also While you have a crew of 7,  at least two would stay in board.
>The pilot and the Arm operator (He may need an assistant).
>Henry is the roving expert on this.  so I get.
>(oops,  also i guy stays suited up in the airlock  as an emergency helper.
>8 hours/day (2 suit sorties) * 4 astronauts * 5 days = 152 hrs.
>Less if you need another guy on the flight or middeck.
>so i ball park it in at 3.5 million/hour.  not counting additional
>depreciation on the suits.  
>
>I would imagine the CIS is still making a killing at 5 million/hour.
>

	When I posted the above, I was assuming on-orbit time in 
general.  It was only after I wrote that did someone point out that
the original reference was to Soviet EVA time, not plain old
on-orbit time.

	I would pick a few nits with your numbers though.
7 hours of work appears to be max.  That was about what they did on
the IntelSat Rescue.  The airlock will hold 3 suited astronauts, and
this is a tight fit.  So this means to get 4 our at a time, you'd have to
recycle the lock twice.  That gets tough on air supplies.
	BUT, I think the point is kinda moot.  So far a lot of the
work taht people want done, is in a pressurized environment:Spacelab,
SpaceHad, mid-deck experiments, etc.  The need for EVA time is much lower.