European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 23, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Piggyback into space by Howard Benedic associated press iwo astronauts whose dreams i of going to the Moon were Shal tiered and two who lost a Chance to be military space pilots will be at the controls when America s newest spaceship the shuttle goes through its next set of tests. The tests Start thursday at Edwards air Force base calif., when the $500 million Enterprise will be car ried aloft., perched piggyback on a converted Boeing 747 jumbo Jet As it was on five flights earlier this year. On those trips the Enterprise was not manned. This time two astronauts will be aboard. Six manned tests Are planned at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet with the two Craft locked firmly together. They will be followed by eight tests in which the manned shuttle will be kicked off the Back of the 747 and two of the Astro nauts will guide it Back to a Landing on a dry desert Lake to test All the vehicle s flying characteristics. Two astronaut Crews will alternate flying the 14 tests. Crew no. 1 will be civil Ian Fred w. Haisch or. And air Force it. Col. Charles Gordon Fullerton. No. 2 will be air Force col. Joe Henry Engle and Navy cmdr. Richard h. Truly. Haisch and Engle will be the command ers. Haise 43, an astronaut for 11 years was to have landed on the Moon in the Apollo 13 Mission in april 1970. But As the spacecraft neared its target an oxygen tank exploded and Haise James a. Lovell and John u Swygert abandoned the lunar Landing. They battled for their uves for three Days during a dramatic trip Back to Earth. Enate. 44, Veteran of 16 x15 rocket re search plane flights Over Edwards in the 1960s, was selected to walk on the Moon during Apollo 17, in december 1972. But for this final Apollo flight the National aeronautics and space administration decided instead to Send a geologist astronaut and Engle was replaced by or. Harrison h. Schmitt now a Republican senator from new Mexico. Fullerton 40. And truly 39, were among seven defense department astronauts enlisted by Nasa in 1969 after the Pentagon cancelled its plan for a military space Sta Tion called manned orbiting Laboratory mod. The four talked about their disappoint ments and Hopes in recent interviews. Apollo 13 was a once in a it Setimo Chance Haise said. Because of the frightening thing that happened it was pretty traumatic for me the first couple months after we got Back. Then there was the feeling of frustration in coming so close and not being Able to do something i had spent months getting ready i have no bitter said Engle of the shift that knocked him off Apollo 17. "1 was of course disappointed at not being Able to go. But i think the circumstances really justified the change. Apollo 17 was going to be our last Chance to put a geologist on the Moon and there s no getting around the fact that a trained geologist up there is More important if something really significant is i had dedicated four years of my life to Mol truly said. I was totally committed so it was a very big disappointment when the program was cancelled. It s been a Long Road Back to where i have another Chance to Fly into a was a big Surprise and a big blow to me when Mol was cancelled Fullerton four have their eyes on Orbital flights aboard the shuttle either As Pilot of a test Mission or As an operational shuttle Cap Tain. The Edwards tests Are to end next january. If they turn up no serious flaws the shuttle will be ready for its Maiden Orbital trip. That launching is now set for March 1979, from Cape canaveral Fla. A total of six Orbital tests Are planned from the Cape Lead ing to operational missions starting in 1980. Haise said the shuttle will usher in a unmanned orbiter in test ride on 747 Mother ship. Space shuttle crewmen truly Eft Engle Haise and Fullerton. New Era in America s exploration of space because the Craft the size of a dc9 Airliner will take off like a rocket and land Back on Earth like an air plane. Kach of these rocket ships will be Able to make 100 or More round trips into orbit and will open up space travel to hundreds of men and women of Many nations. "1 Hope our experience with the Edwards Landing tests will give us an Opportunity at an Orbital truly said. I be tickled to draw one of the ill Fly anytime anywhere. Just give me a Fullerton said. Fullerton and truly could yet attain their goal of becoming military space pilots. The defense department will be recruiting Crews for More than 100 shuttle missions it plans to conduct once the rocket ship becomes operational. These will carry military payloads into orbit and conduct reconnaissance and other Classi fied assignments. It seems a logical place for me to be involved Fullerton said. The Pentagon plans to share a Fleet of five shuttles with Nasa. One space Agency projection Calls for 960 operational shuttle flights including 109 by the Pentagon in a 12-year period starting in 1980. Each shuttle will be capable of making return trips to space after refurbishment periods of about two weeks on Earth. To build Crews for this ambitious schedule Nasa has asked those inter ested in being pilots or scientific mis Sion specialists to apply by july 1. The Agency is looking for Young Well educated highly motivated specialists men and women to Fly on this revolutionary spaceship. More than 2,000 applications have been received. Captains and pilots will work on an air line like schedule with each making Sev eral flights a year. Most will take off and land at Cape canaveral with the old Apollo pads serving As launch facilities. The defense department plans to launch most of its missions from a facility it is building at Vandenberg air Force base. Calif. The 11 nations that make up the euro Pean space Agency also will be recruiting scientists and researchers to help Man an Orbital Laboratory the Agency is develop ing. The vehicle called space lab. Will be carried into orbit and returned to Earth Bya shuttle. U too will be refurbished and flown Over and Over. A Lully operational space lab Mission will involve two shuttle pilots and a flight Engineer plus four researchers in the lab. Flights will last from 7 to 30 Days at an Alti tude of 155 will be Only two researchers on the first space lab trial in 1980. One Ameri can and one european. A major shuttle function will be to deliver unmanned satellites to their desired orbits eliminating the need for conventional throwaway space rockets. The ship can carry up to 65, 000 pounds of payload. If a satellite stops operating a shuttle Crew could Fly up to fix it or return it to Earth for repair. Thus the Cost of building the satellites will fall because they no longer will have to be super dependable. Because it can be used Over and Over the shuttle will sharply reduce the Cost of operating in space. Just As other govern ment agencies Industry and foreign governments now pay Nasa to launch specialized satellites they will do the same in the shuttle m. Lee. Director of Nasa s shuttle operational office said a Complex formula has been worked out to charge users. For foreign and commercial users there will be a Price tag of about $20 Mil lion for . Government agencies about $16 million and for the defense depart ment about $12.2 who can t completely fill up the cargo Bay can lease some of their space toothed researchers. Under such an arrange ment a University professor for example might place a Small scientific package aboard a flight for As Little As $3.000. Under the Nasa pricing plan. By comparison an Apollo Moon flight Cost $425 million. The Saturn 5 rocket with a Price tag of $185 million fell into the Ocean never to be recovered. The Titan 3c. Biggest rocket Booster now used costs $46 million a launch. Lee said most of the space Baa Bee sold on the first u operational flights scheduled in 1980 and 1981. Payloads include four or five space lab missions environmental and scientific satellites and communications satellites Formant sources including Intelsat a euro Pean consortium several Arab countries. Brazil and an american firm. Satellite business launch Rale according to Nasa s projection will Rise to 23 in 1982. 31 in 1983, 40 in 1984 and 60 in 1985 More than one a week. Monday May 23, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 11
