Message-ID: <cZhKGkK00VcJI6zU4w@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 90 01:39:45 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #438

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 10 : Issue 438

Today's Topics:
			  retrieving Galileo
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Date: 17 Jan 90 06:09:20 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: retrieving Galileo

In article <10294@microsoft.UUCP> davidle@microsoft.UUCP (David LEVINE) writes:
>Remember that the entire time, the astronauts will be exposed to the
>radiation from the RTG's -- a fair amount.  In order to stow or
>detatch the RTG booms, they would have to get close to the RTG's
>themselves.

The RTGs don't radiate very much; the whole point of using Pu238 is that
it's an alpha emitter with very little gamma output.  The RTGs are *hot*,
mind you, and that would create problems.

I agree with the rest of the commentary; Galileo was not designed to be
retrieved and it would be very difficult.

There is also the question of whether it would ever fly again.  Money
for that might be hard to find.  I was at the Cape to see 41C, LDEF
deployment and Solar Max repair, go up.  One of the options for Solar
Max repair, if problems occurred, was to bring the thing back down
for attention on the ground.  Except that one of the senior Solar Max
scientists told us that there was no money to do anything with it once
it got down...
-- 
1972: Saturn V #15 flight-ready|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
1990: birds nesting in engines | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

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End of SPACE Digest V10 #438
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