Re: Welcome home, Discovery


"Dbu." <nttspam@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:nttspam-9B175F.18145609082005@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>> Well yeah, but there are still flights planned for this generation, and
>> if
>> it takes a coat of paint to make them safer, then I say, "let's paint
>> them."
>> The paint can't possibly do as much damage as shuttle parts falling on a
>> shoolhouse, or in themiddle of downtown. Not to mention the human cost of
>> losing a flight crew ...
>>
>> They either need to catch the stuff that falls off before it falls off,
>> or
>> cover the underside of the shuttle so that stuff that falls off won't
>> hurt.
>
> You're saying to paint over the shuttle tile?


No, paint the tank tiles, or whatever the foam covering is. (I don't think
the tank is tiled, it's coated.) The main point here isn't the material,
it's holding the material on, OR protecting other material from the affects
of material that falls off.




Which would protect it
> from falling foam insulation off the tank? Do you think paint would
> protect the tiles from the foam hitting the shuttle and poking a hole in
> the tile surface? I guess I don't really know, but knowing engineers,
> they most likely have studied the hell out of thies and ruled it out,
> that's just a guess. I think there is about 25 more shuttle flights
> left before retirement.
> --

I think the tiles on the shuttle proper can be protected with something as
low-tech as plexiglas. Plastic will take the hit from the 2-pound chunks of
foam and not let the tiles be damaged. What I am not taking into account,
and what has to be considered, is what happens to the plexiglas later in the
flight. What if parts of it burn up, and larger chunks then fly around and
hit something important? Can plexiglas be attached in a manner that can be
jetisoned later in a controlled fashion? Can plexiglas be affixed as a
shield between the external tank and the shuttle, then fall away with the
tank when it gets to altitude? Of course, this is weight, and it takes away
from payload, and that has its own sets of problems.

Seriously, why not wrap the tank in SaranWrap and packing tape to hold the
foam in place, then leave a science experiment on the pad because of the
weight of the SaranWrap? It only has to last for two or three minutes, and
at speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour. What's the big deal? I've seen
this stuff wrap the same fruit cake for years ...




.

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