Asri-unix.756
net.space
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ARPAVAX:C70:sri-unix!REM@MIT-MC
Thu Feb 11 12:05:23 1982
Re: possible private funding for Shuttle #5
    Date: 11 Feb 1982 1139-EST
    From: MPH at MIT-XX (Maurice P. Herlihy)
					  If the corporation decides to fund
    the Shuttle, it will have to do so soon, since the cost of constructing
    additional Shuttles will increase greatly once the current assembly lines
    are shut down.
It seems there's a more serious deadline for construction of additional
shuttles than for operations transfer. Those companies wanting to build
shuttles better hurry up before NASA's construction of shuttles comes
to an end and the assembly lines are shut down. After at least one
new shuttle gets in the assembly line, it would seem to extend the
deadline for additional companies since it takes a while to make the
one extra shuttle during which time the assembly line isn't shut down
and there's still time to decide to start a second extra shuttle.
If companies decide to start new shuttles at a rapid enough rate,
the assembly line never gets shut down.

Are all the likely companies aware of the deadline? Are any consortiums
of companies forming to joint-fund construction of shuttle-orbiters?
Are any really-big companies (ITT, Exxon, ...) considering funding
shuttle-orbiter construction? Is there a clearinghouse (probably
within NASA) for keeping track of all the companies wanting space
aboard shuttle flights but unable to get space aboard currently-scheduled
flights, and then matching these against companies considering funding
additional orbiters to satisfy this demand for flight space, in order
to determine just how many extra orbiters could be funded right now
on the basis of already-known market demand?

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