ABSTRACT
In February, 1984 Hughes Aircraft used the space shuttle to attempt to launch a giant Westar VI satellite, but failed to get it into the correct orbit. In November, 1984 the crew of the space shuttle Discovery successfully salvaged the satellite, which was then reconditioned and sold at a remarkably low price to Michael Johnson, an entrepreneur who proposed selling transponder space on the satellite to small countries unable to afford their own satellite programs.
