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Author
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Topic: Transporting the space shuttle tail cone
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Lee Brandon Cremer
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posted 12-15-2008 09:58 PM
   
Does anyone know how the tailcone used in the original ALT Program and now used for transporting the shuttle atop the SCA, is/are transported when not in use?Does the tailcone breakdown? Is it carried in the SCA? Are there more than one of them? Finally, can anyone point to where documentation can be found regarding the tailcone? I've covered the shuttle since 1977 in some form or another and I have never heard an answer to this one. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 12-15-2008 10:10 PM
The tail cone is capable of being broken down and transported inside a USAF transport aircraft (C-5 and C-17 as I recall).Two tailcones were built. One dated back to the original ALT program while as I recall the second one was built after Challenger and it was made so it could be utilized on orbiters featuring the drag chute modification at the base of the tail (Endeavour was built with it and Columbia was the first orbiter modified with it while Discovery and Atlantis didn't get the mod until early 1990s OMDP refits). After all four still flying orbiters got the dragchute, the first tailcone was retrofitted for use with the drag chute housing and both tailcones are practically identical to one another today. What I just posted is from memory and might not be 100% correct (don't have my references handy). But I read it in the Dennis Jenkins hardcover shuttle book. If you don't have that book in your collection, then your shuttle reference collection is NOT complete. | |
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