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Goddard Space Flight Center

Astrophysics Science Division | Sciences and Exploration

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Servicing Mission 3B: SM3B Discussion Board: General Discussion: Working in 24 hour shifts and staying in the daylight zone of the earth

os390

||||| Tuesday, March 05, 2002 - 07:49 am

I am curious if the logistics allow a multi shift
astronaut crew working around the clock ?

Why does the Space shuttle have to orbit the earth, can't it say put in the daylight zone
and give the astronauts a 24 hour bright working environment ?

Dave

||||| Tuesday, March 05, 2002 - 08:06 am

Up there the choices are orbit or fall. But there are orbits that stay in the sun all the time, if you run over the pole and stay above the day-night terminator. However, with work lights, you don't really need sunlight, so it's not an issue. HST is in the orbit it's in because it's the minimum-fuel orbit from Kennedy Space Center -- using less fuel means more capacity to carry up cargo.

Working three shifts would mean adding 8 more crew members -- I don't think there's room.