Sep 10 1977
From The Space Library
The Washington Star reported that the first Space Shuttle fuel tank emerged from the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans on its way to tests at the Natl. Space Technology Laboratory in Miss. NASA contractor Martin Marietta had built the 520 000 gal tank, half as long as a football field, at a cost of about $2.5 million. If successful, as many as 500 similar tanks would be built during the next 15 to 20yr. The 153ft-long tank, almost 30ft in diameter, was built of aluminum alloy and was disposable, designed to fall away and disintegrate in the atmosphere just before the Shuttle reached orbit. Shuttle flights would cost about $10 million each, as compared to $150 million each for earlier launches. (W Star, Sept 10/77, A-3)
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