Knowing the kind of redundancy that is built into almost every other aspect of the shuttle, I would wish that the heat shield also had some.
If you saw the news story with an actual tile replaced after the 1981 launch, the glass surface is so thin a guy was actually chipping pieces off with his fingernail. I would also think that in the 25 years since the tiles were engineered, there would have been scientific advancements in heat shielding that could be applied (removing time and money shortages). But, in case anyone wonders, I would go into space in a heartbeat. With a rocket strapped to my butt if I could enjoy it for at least 5 minutes. I am just glad they got to complete the mission. Jerry Johnson >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 02/03/03 10:54AM >>> Checking the tiles would not have helped. There's no way to repair or replace them in space. And you may not know that the tiles are not identical - each is precisely sized and shaped for a particular location. There was talk about a permanent heat shield instead of the tiles, but significant issues of weight and cost. -Ben ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
