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>it being the initial airframe Very minor nitpick, but the first airframe (spaceframe?) is OV-101 Enterprise. OV-102 Columbia is the second.
by Dalewyn 2y ago
>it being the initial airframe
Very minor nitpick, but the first airframe (spaceframe?) is OV-101 Enterprise. OV-102 Columbia is the second.
- 51Cards 2y agoTrue! Enterprise was intended to be retrofitted into a flight capable airframe but changes in the design made it unfeasable. Thanks for the catch!
- dotancohen 2y agoWhy not OV-99, then? It was a test article, later retrofitted to spaceflight (Challenger), but laid before OV-101.
- 51Cards 2y agoIf we really want to get particular there was OV-098, Pathfinder, though being made of wood it obviously was never meant for more than fitment testing. Oddly though it did get the OV designation, not the STA designation.
- mystified5016 2y agoHuh, I wouldn't have thought that what is essentially a mock-up would merit a designator or a name.
- Dalewyn 2y agoMockups that were particularly detailed and well-preserved (OV-098 Pathfinder) or appreciated (OV-095 SAIL) were given honorary Orbiter Vehicle designations. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter#Orbiter_Vehicle_Designation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter#Orbiter_...
- Dalewyn 2y agoOV-099 Challenger was renumbered from STA-099 (Structural Test Article), it was not originally built to be flown. OV-099 as a number actually doesn't make sense, because the numbering scheme (OV-XYY) in full reads: Orbiter Vehicle, Series X, Vehicle YY. Series 1 is the original (and only) line of flightworthy Space Shuttle Orbiters including Enterprise, Vehicle number is given in sequence within a series starting from 01. So OV-101 (Enterprise's) reads Orbiter Vehicle, Series 1, Vehicle 01. OV-102 (Columbia's) reads likewise Vehicle 02, and so on. OV-099 (Challenger's) reads Orbiter Vehicle, Series 0, Vehicle 99 which makes absolutely no sense.
- dotancohen 2y agoBut in the context of this thread we're discussing how heavy the airframe is. Wouldn't OV-99 be lacking the airframe lightening enhancements that OV-103 and later enjoyed?
- 51Cards 2y agoThrowing this into the chain for those who would like more specific weight information as the shuttle program progessed. https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/61842/what-outdated-components-of-columbia-made-it-heavier-than-the-other-space-shuttl https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/61842/what-outdate...