Re: FT: Carriers

----- Original Message -----
> The launch cradle  rotates 180' so that the fighter has it's butt
towards
the bay opening, and
> thus towards the planet and away from the orbital path.  When the cat
> launches it, the fighter is accelerated away from it's current
velocity,
> evffectively decellerating it, allowing it to drop into entry while
facing
> in the right direction?

Possible, but not strictly neccessary. Not that the Space Shuttle
decelerates with its main engines facing forward in the direction of
movement. After the burning, there is enough time to rotate to fly nose
forward before reentry. I guess it depends on what is more of a problem:
the
extra complexity of rotating catapult cradles or the extra fuel aboard a
fighter.

Greetings