SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*Latest Docs:* See*[RAFT-docs]* http://www.ew.usna.edu/%7Ebruninga/raft-docs.html for all the detail photos, documents, drawings and milestones.
*Current Status:* Awaiting launch on STS-116 on 6 December. Delivered 25 Jan 2006 to JSC Houston for vibration testing. Then 17 July 2006 to Kennedy Space Center for Integration with the Shuttle STS-116 for launch. **Photo above is delivery from USNA and testing the separation system in a Zero-G flight. The current debate is the deployment altitude to safely avoid re-contact with ISS. The plot below shows how our original altitude ot 180 has been reduced to 175, and now 165 is being considered which would shorten the life to only 2 months or less:
**GO TO FOR THE COMPLETE HISTORY AND CAPABILITIES OF THE "RAFT PROJECT"-