Variants
A cargo carrier addition was studied in 1984. This would consist of a cargo space mounted to the aft hydrogen dome, for cargoes greater than the payload bay diameter of 15 feet (4.6 m). It never flew.
Before the Challenger accident, proposed west coast launches by the military into polar orbits suffered a disadvantage in lifting capacity compared to low-inclination orbits. A booster module, derived from a Titan II first stage, was proposed. In addition to increasing capacity, the presence of tankage and rocket exhaust would have relieved heating on the aft hydrogen dome. This also failed to fly.
Read more about this topic: Space Shuttle External Tank
Famous quotes containing the word variants:
“Nationalist pride, like other variants of pride, can be a substitute for self-respect.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)