BRINGING ORBITERS INTO THE '90S : BOEING STUDIES UPGRADES.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer With the nation's space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. fleet sporting 1960s technology, Boeing North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. is studying what improvements can be made to help the craft stay in service well into the 21st century. The orbiter fleet is expected to be in service at least through the year 2010 but could remain in use well beyond that since no new manned spacecraft This is a list of manned spacecraft (including space stations) sorted by manufacturer/operator and series in chronological order. Operational spacecraft China National Space Administration
``We're in the process of doing studies to determine the scope and direction of what upgrades should be included,'' Cavanaugh said. Boeing North American is taking a look at what improvements would be practical to make on the orbiters, which have each returned at least once to their birthplace birth·place n. The place where someone is born or where something originates. birthplace Noun the place where someone was born or where something originated Noun 1. in Palmdale for other modifications and inspections. Boeing North American just finished performing about $47 million worth of inspections and modifications to the orbiter Endeavour, which is scheduled to depart Air Force Plant 42 at 6 a.m. today atop a NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. 747 jumbo jet for its ferry flight back to Florida. The shuttle fleet was designed in the 1970s and for large part used off-the-shelf technologies - in many cases, technologies that were developed in the 1960s, Cavanaugh said. Columbia, the first of the original four-shuttle space fleet, was completed in 1979 and Atlantis, the last, in 1985. Endeavour, the replacement for the ill-fated Challenger, was rolled out in 1991. Advancements in electronics and instrumentation, in particular, mean much shuttle gear is outdated. Computer systems are simpler and more reliable now, Cavanaugh said. Boeing North American is looking at making improvements, not a complete overhaul of the orbiters. ``Basically the shuttle is a sound system,'' Cavanaugh said. The improvements are extensive enough, however, that they would have to be performed when an orbiter is pulled out of the flight rotation for structural inspections and modifications - work that has been primarily done in Palmdale. All of the orbiters have been built at Air Force Plant 42. In addition, all but one of the major inspection and modification projects took place in Palmdale, where about 600 people are employed on shuttle work. Space shuttle production July 1972 - NASA selects Rockwell International Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and successful launch of a new bearing system for truck axles in 1919. to design, develop and test the space shuttle fleet. September 1976 - Enterprise, designed as a test vehicle and not equipped for space travel, is rolled out at Air Force Plant 42. March 1979 - Columbia rolled out. June 1982 - Challenger rolled out. October 1983 - Discovery rolled out. July 1987 - NASA awards Rockwell contract to build a replacement for Challenger, using spare parts Spare parts, also referred to as Service Parts is a term used to indicate extra parts available and in proximity to the mechanical item, such as a automobile, boat, engine, for which they might be used. Spare parts are also called “spares. already on hand. April 1991 - Endeavour rolled out. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: (color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour AV edition only) The orbiter Endeavour is lifted on the shuttle gantry Gantry A name for the couch or table used in a CT scan. The patient lies on the gantry while it slides into the x-ray scanner portion. Mentioned in: Computed Tomography Scans to be mounted on a 747 for ferrying to Florida. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News Box: Space shuttle production (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion