On Saturday, JF Mezei queried:

Snidely wrote:

Today's launch window was approx 1 min;


Is this a fuel capacity issue, hardware design which makes it hard for
the rocket to steer back into the right orbit, or perhaps software
design with the software not (yet) having the ability to do the
manoeuvers to adjust the orbital plane ?

Considering it was designed specifically to meet up with existing
orbiting objects such as ISS.

On the other hand, out of all Shuttle launches, how many times were they
able to succesfully make use of the extra 5 minutes and still launch ?

I recall that time when someone left a gate on the pad and they rushed
to get the gate out and get back. (But I am not sure they even had to
move the launch time because they did this at the panned T-9 hold if I
recall correctly)

If the shuttle's history shows that the larger launch window was rarely
or never used succesfully, then it makes sense to not spend money to get
Dragon an equivalent launch window.

Ah, the CS Monitor seems to have the answer:

quote
On this mission, SpaceX has mere seconds to launch. Otherwise it must
wait another three days for a second try.

The reason: NASA is requiring that Dragon perform several kinds of
maneuvers, including a rendezvous abort, in the station's general
vicinity.[...]

The few-seconds-long launch window puts the Dragon on the most
fuel-miserly trajectory to the station, leaving enough thruster
propellant available for on-orbit do-overs if needed."
/quote

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0518/Why-historic-SpaceX-mission-to-space-station-will-be-so-difficult
or http://tinyurl.com/csmDragon

--
Who, me? And what lacuna?