I was very pleased to see the progress being made to provide electrical power transfer capability from the international space station to a docked [shuttle] orbiter [“New System Will Allow Shuttle Crews Longer Station Visits,” July 18, page 8].
It would have been courteous to note that this was suggested (first, as far as I know) in an invited Space News Commentary [“Long Shuttle Missions Are Possible,” April 9, 2001, page 33] written by the undersigned. It was further supported by Arnold Aldrich in a Space News letter to the editor dated April 30, 2001, page 14.
Although current orbiter difficulties may compromise the degree to which the added crew time on-orbit can be used for research tasks, additional utility should be possible in the age of the CEV [Crew Exploration Vehicle].
