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To: KevinDavis
Let's just get this station built so NASA can go on to do more useful things. Here goes yet another truss segment and solar panels. This will be the third truss installation in a row, not to mention the cycle before the Columbia accident with three truss installations and three general maintenance missions. Oh, and STS-118 (the next mission) is also a truss installation mission. For future space stations I hope they use a 100 ton rocket to put the truss up in one piece, and then use their smaller rockets to add the other components. Building it one piece at a time is annoying!

Element Flight Launch date Length
(m)
Diameter
(m)
Mass
(kg)
Z1 truss 3A – STS-92 October 11, 2000 4.9 4.2 8,755
P6 truss – solar array 4A – STS-97 November 30, 2000 73.2 10.7 15,824
S0 truss 8A – STS-110 April 8, 2002 13.4 4.6 13,971
S1 truss 9A – STS-112 October 7, 2002 13.7 4.6 14,124
P1 truss 11A – STS-113 November 23, 2002 13.7 4.6 14,003
P3/P4 truss – solar array 12A – STS-115 September 9, 2006 73.2 10.7 15,824
P5 truss 12A.1 – STS-116 December 9, 2006 13.7 3.9 1,864
S3/S4 truss – solar array 13A – STS-117 no earlier than June 8, 2007 73.2 10.7 15,824
S5 truss 13A.1 – STS-118 no earlier than August 9, 2007 13.7 3.9 1,864
P6 truss – solar array (relocation) 10A – STS-120 no earlier than October 20, 2007
S6 truss – solar array 15A – STS-119 July, 2008 73.2 10.7 15,824

30 posted on 06/07/2007 8:55:57 PM PDT by burzum (None shall see me, though my battlecry may give me away -Minsc)
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To: burzum
Building it one piece at a time is annoying!

It's only annoying because we fly so rarely. If we had a system capable of flying weekly, or daily, you could put up a huge station very quickly, without the need for heavy-lift vehicles. And it would be much more affordable as well.

41 posted on 06/08/2007 6:53:24 AM PDT by NonZeroSum
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