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In article <72599@cup.portal.com>, BrianT@cup.portal.com (Brian Stuart Thorn) writes:
>>Maximum payload weight for a safe abort is
>>40,000 lbs, and the shuttle rarely carries that much weight.
> 
>      Not true in either statement. 40,000 lbs. is about the average, if I
>      reckon correctly. However I'll have to dig up copies of the Shuttle
>      Press Kits for each mission to get an accurate figure. Many missions
>      have been above the 40,000 lb. mark (STS-29, STS-30, STS-34, STS-41,
>      STS-37, STS-43, STS-44, STS-50, all since return-to-flight.) Many of
>      the military missions used the IUS, making them candidates for
>      40,000+ payloads. The next 40,000+ mission is in two weeks: STS-54.
>      
>      The "abort" figure you cite appears to be based on the safe return
>      weight (about 35,000lbs) but this has not been a factor in limiting
>      Shuttle payload capacity, as the above examples testify.
> 
>      -Brian


Below is a table listing the shuttle payload weight for non-classified
flights.  The weight given is the combined weight of the attached and
deployed payloads in the payload bay.  It does not include the weight of
the mid-deck experiments.

  10K - 20K#      20K - 30K#      30K - 40K#      40K - 50K#         50K# +
  -----------    ------------    ------------    ------------    ------------
   1 - 10,823     52 - 20,132      8 - 30,076    51I - 43,988    51L - 52,308
  48 - 17,144     39 - 21,413    51B - 31,407     41 - 44,107
  45 - 17,683      3 - 22,710    61A - 31,861    51G - 44,477
   2 - 18,778    41G - 23,465      5 - 32,080     44 - 44,637
                   4 - 24,492    61C - 32,462    51A - 45,306
                  32 - 26,488     50 - 32,477     30 - 45,930
                  47 - 28,092     49 - 32,809     26 - 46,478
                  40 - 28,114      9 - 33,264     34 - 48,643
                  53 - 28,346    41B - 33,868     43 - 46,712 
                  46 - 28,585    51F - 34,400      6 - 46,971
                  42 - 28,663    51D - 35,824    41D - 47,516 
                  31 - 28,673     37 - 36,800    61B - 48,041
                  35 - 29,806      7 - 37,124                      
                                  29 - 38,097    
                                 41C - 38,266         

Total weight launched in 45 flights = 1,519,336 pounds
Average payload weight per flight   =    33,763 pounds

Note:  This does not include the following DoD flights: 51C, 51J, 27, 28,
       33, 36, and 38.

-- 

Pat Oliver -  	Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company at NASA JSC
		OLIVER@vf.jsc.nasa.gov
		All standard disclamers apply.