Quote:
>According to USA TODAY (10/24/95 issue, page 3A):
>"A private, unmanned rocket carrying one tone of science experiments
>exploded 45 seconds after liftoff from NASA's Wallops Island Flight
>Facility in Atlantic, VA. Debris fell into the Atlantic 12 miles offshore.
>Cause of the explosion wasn't known. The Conestoga rocket, built by EER
>Systems Copr. of Vienna, VA., was ending its first stage when it blew up.
>NASA paid about two-thirds of the estimated $20 Million mission, which was
>to be another step toward commercial space projects. "
>David A. Butcher
>Sr. Global VSAT Support Engineer
>AT&T Tridom 1-800-874-3666,
>ext. 770
>840 E. Franklin Court, 1-770-514-3770
>Marietta, Georgia, USA 30067-8946
>PGR: 1-800-SKY-PAGE, PIN # 2885987
>FAX: 770-429-5417 or 770-795-2132
>HPR - Shoot for the Stars! ...and Blue Skies to 'Ya.
You mean to tell me if one of us ever wanted to orbit a small
payload, it would cost $20 MILLION!!!???!!! Well thats a little
out of my budget at the moment :) But seriously, that is alot of
cash. I figured they had a vehicle that was thrown together with
surplus items and volunteer work input. Maybe they went and
leased another minute man missile from the government?
Well I guess I'll have to stop complaining about the high cost
of high power motors based on what these people had to pay.
--
John Dunbar