🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan26.030319.11373@iti.org>, aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:
> In article <24JAN199320503892@judy.uh.edu> wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov writes:
>>Also for your information, NASA has been flying station precursors for
>>over ten years now. They are called Spacelab.
> 
> Spacelab is an experiment carrier. It will tell us nothing about
> building large scale structures in space and cannot be considered a
> station precursor.

So what?  You are wrong on this one, Allen. Fred is supposed to be
some kind of laboratory.  Therefore it's important to develop a
program of experiments and useful techniques, make mistakes, etc. Then
when experiments are flown aboard Fred, they won't be starting from
scratch and they will have a greater chance of success. Spacelab has
been the testbed for Americans, Japanese, and Europeans to gather
experience in microgravity and space science experiments.  In that
sense it is certainly a precursor to the space station.

Does Spacelab cost too much to operate?  Sure.  Does it give
experience in assembling large-scale structures?  No. But your
assertion that it "cannot be considered a station precursor" is
erroneous.

>>These experiments are all important as precursors to SSF because we can get
>>all of the bugs out of the experiments
> 
> I would rather get the bus out of the station first and then worry about
> the experiments.

Launchers and payloads must develop together; without abundant
payloads and a user community, new launchers (such as you-know-what)
don't have a chance of succeeding financially.  If the Revolution ever
happens, those lucky people flying *more* payloads *more* often are
going to be very glad to have Shuttle, Spacelab, Salyut, Mir, and
Skylab experience to guide their engineering.

Bill Higgins, Beam Jockey         | "I'm gonna keep on writing songs
Fermilab                          | until I write the song
Bitnet:      HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET  | that makes the guys in Detroit
Internet:  HIGGINS@FNAL.FNAL.GOV  | who draw the cars
SPAN/Hepnet:      43011::HIGGINS  | put tailfins on 'em again."
                                            --John Prine