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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 1343.PDF
STRETCHING THE SHUTTLE The Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia has been modified to increase its working time in space. Tim Furniss reviews the significance of the imminent Shuttle mission. NASA, faced with serious limi tations on the duration of Shuttle flights, has overcome the prob lem by "stretching" its Columbia orbiter. The extended-duration orbiter (EDO) will be able to fly missions of up to 16 days. A 13-day EDO demonstration flight in June will operate the US Microgravity Laboratory (USML 1) on mission STS50 — the Shuttle programme's 48th mission and the Columbia's 12th since its maiden flight during 1981. The Columbia set the Shuttle flight- duration record of ten days 21h in January 1990, although this is brief compared with some of the former Soviet Union's space achievements. The Soyuz TM4 crew flew for 365 days between 1987 and 1988, and there have been 16 other Soyuz missions lasting more than 100 days. Seven other US (non-Shuttle) missions have exceeded the Columbia's re cord, including the Skylab 4, which flew for 84 days in 1973-4. Meanwhile, the Shuttle's recent perform ance has certainly vindicated those who argue for maintaining a manned spaceflight The Shuttle could use more time per mission to service the Freedom Space Station FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 May - 3 June, 1992 43
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