[sci.space.shuttle] to orbit...

roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) (03/29/91)

>From: cabp10@vaxa.strath.ac.uk (Theora Jones, In Person!)
>Subject: Re: I want to go to orbit...

>In article <1991Mar25.174621.3905@cs.mcgill.ca> msdos@cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes:
>>	What are the steps in order to build a reliable space-shuttle like
>>spaceship in order to send myself to orbit for the summer holidays?

> Assuming you only want to go once, forget heat tiles. Go ablative. it worked
>for apollo. (a good shield is layers of cork painted white, with a rubber based
>paint)

Sounds like a good idea. I think the Chinese use oak. (Cork, as you know, is
made from the outer bark of the cork oak.)

> as for life support systems, a good vindaloo before hand and a diving (DRY)
>suit should do.

The Air & Space Museum (Washington, D.C.) has a display of early attempts at
"space suits". Some of them are very close in appearance to diving suits.

I doubt that Mark could eat enough vindaloo ahead of time to last for the
entire summer holidays, though for Canadian summers, it's hard to be sure. :-)
(Vindaloo - an Indian curry dish made with meat, fish, or poultry in a sauce
of garlic, wine (or vinegar), spices, etc. - the term is essentially not used
in the US.)

>Theora Jones  Strathclyde University, SCOTLAND   || " I can fly higher than an
>CABP10%vaxa.strath.ac.uk (elsewhere, hopefully)  ||   wind beneath my wings "
>WE SUPPORTED DESERT STORM ! KUWAIT IS NOW FREE ! ||      "Lets be MAWS!"

       John Roberts
       roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov